Chuck vs the Defense Contractor
by NorCali
Summary: Team Chuck faces a threat to it's survival. Will it self-destruct from within? Chuck/Sarah, Chuck/OC. A little blood...
1. Ch 1 Intro

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 1 - Intro**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:30am on a weekday**

A brief moment of quiet allowed Chuck to realize of the absurdity of his current thoughts. A few feet in front of him, Agent Sarah Walker was in a two-handed shooting stance and looking very fierce. Wearing her usual action ensemble of comfortable black clothes with plenty of pockets, her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blue eyes were determined and intimidating. Despite the current life-or-death situation, Chuck noticed that the bloody gash above her left eye did little to upset the perfect symmetry of her face. He also couldn't help but notice her lean and curvy form under her outfit and felt a tiny bit of warmth at the memory of all the little touches they had shared. He always noticed when she touched his unruly hair, straightened his tie, or grabbed his hands to reassure him when he was freaking out. 

"Goddammit Walker, Shoot!" 

Chuck's quiet moment ended with an insistent shout from Casey and more loud bangs coming from his H&K 416 carbine. He had just dropped out an empty magazine and slapped in a fresh thirty rounds. Casey was about twenty feet behind Chuck, dressed in black, and crouched behind an improvised barricade of office furniture and bulletproof vests. His target was the only entry (and exit) point of the room. He wasn't hitting anybody at the moment, but his shots provided suppressive fire and kept them out. 

_They_ were the ex-SEAL/SAS/ MI6/Spetsnaz/super-soldier mercenaries that comprised the Miller-Johnson Corporation's private army of 'contractors.' The room _they_ desperately wanted to enter was the GDN of the corporation. The GDN was the Global Data Node of Miller-Johnson and reminded Chuck of NORAD from _Wargames_. It was much cooler looking than the real NORAD which had once shown up in an Intersect flash and was plain and boring in comparison. Every bit of data from Miller-Johnson's vast business empire flowed into the GDN so that the corporation's decision-makers could do their jobs. For a corporation with 110,000 employees around the world and $48 billion in revenue, that meant a lot of bits. So many bits that the four floors below the GDN housed countless racks of servers, wiring, cooling, and storage. 

The subject of Sarah's angry blue eyes stood a few feet directly in front of her behind a desk with a laptop on it. The laptop was plugged into the GDN network and a finger was poised inches above the Enter key. The finger belonged to a stunning 5'9" tall brunette with long wavy hair, bright blue eyes, and a lean and curvaceous form that resulted from a lifetime of exercise and training. Morgan had been quick to point out that she was what a brunette Sarah would look and act like. From a God's eye view, Chuck, Sarah, and Nikki formed an equilateral triangle.

"Back away from the computer!" Sarah commanded to Nikki. "I will kill you if you don't."

Nikki flinched at the complete ruthlessness she saw in Sarah's eyes. And at the large barrel of the .45 caliber pistol pointed at her head. After the past few weeks, she knew that Sarah hated her guts. She would feel the same were their roles reversed. "Sarah wait…" she started.

Chuck interrupted "Sarah, don't shoot! You don't understand! Nikki's trying to do the right thing!"

Sarah's eyes flicked over to Chuck. "Chuck, I don't know what lies she's told you but she is doing the WRONG thing. If I don't stop her, she will destroy everything. She is a traitor to this country and you've been helping her! I have orders to stop her at any cost. I have orders that even you are expendable on this mission."

Chuck shivered at her words. Sarah was colder and harder than he had ever seen. He knew he shouldn't be surprised after the revelations of the past few weeks. He knew that she was a far better actress then even he suspected. The killer in front of him must be the true Sarah Walker or whatever her name really was. He knew she could walk into a parking lot and instantly memorize all the license plates, plot out escape routes, and calculate her best source of cover. He knew that with her looks and skills, she could manipulate men at will. Brilliant, experienced political leaders and businessmen had succumbed to her wiles. He knew for a fact how far she was willing to 'compromise' herself to get close to her mark. She could get close to any man in the world and kill him and his family without leaving one iota of her involvement. What chance did he ever have to resist her? He was just an under-employed college dropout with a low pain threshold who only had one-and-a-half girlfriends his whole life (Lou didn't last long and ended up being a mission). He felt like such an idiot. He still felt that he was in love with her.

Nikki remained still, her finger trembling over the laptop's enter key. She hoped that Chuck could convince Sarah not to kill her before she pushed the button. If she didn't push the button, all would be lost

"Sarah, Nikki and I are not traitors!" After the past few weeks, he would suspect the same thing if he were Sarah. He had to find a way to get through to her. 

"I know that things look bad…" he paused to compose his thoughts and wait for a particularly intense volley of shots between Casey and the contractors to pass. "I know that things look bad, and that the last couple of weeks have been a little rocky between us. But you have to believe me, Nikki and I are doing the RIGHT thing, the right thing for this country. We are the good guys." A memory of a warm, surprisingly smog-free sunrise on the beach came back to him. "Remember when you asked me to trust you? Well, I did Sarah, I always have. Well, after the Zarnow thing I have. Now I'm asking you to trust me. You don't have to believe me, but I'm asking you to trust me. Let Nikki push the button."

Sarah's eyes flicked from Nikki to Chuck again, but lingered this time. Chuck noticed her gaze soften for the first time this morning, and felt a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of reaching her. His hands had been sweating in the pockets of his Buy More windbreaker this whole time. His right hand was sweating around a pistol grip with his finger on the trigger. He hoped he didn't have to use his weapon. The only gun he had fired successfully shot at TV screens. Nikki had told him to just point and shoot.

Sarah's face registered a range of emotions starting with frustration, then anguish, then a more pleasant look as Chuck imagined her remembering the sunrise on the beach. He thought he could read her mind as she displayed her feelings for a moment. She was thinking of trusting him. She was going to let Nikki push the button because Chuck asked her to. She didn't just think of him as another mark. She really did have some true feelings for him. Her tear on the rooftop was real. Everything was going to work out just fi...

"Chuck, you tell Nikki to back away from the computer or I will blow her head off."

_Shit. I'm such an idiot. She played me from the start. I'm going to change my name from Chuck to Big Stupid Sucker Mark. If I survive..._

"Walker, if you don't shoot her, I have a shot from here. I'm down to my last two mags so you better hurry!" Casey quickly and efficiently ejects another empty magazine and inserts fresh ammo. "Bartowski is in my line of fire, but he is expendable, right?" Sarah glances at Casey with a look that Chuck reads as fear. _Nah, it can't be that._ She looks back at Chuck with a now unreadable expression.

Nikki takes advantage of Sarah's short distraction to move her finger toward the Enter key. Chuck notices her motion in the corner of his vision. Sarah notices the change in Chuck's eyes and snaps her attention back to Nikki. Chuck knows that they're all out of time. He pulls his weapon from his pocket and to his great surprise, it comes out cleanly without him somehow messing it up. He brings it up and points it at Sarah. 

Time has seemingly slowed down for everyone in the room. Sarah notices Chuck's weapon pointing at her and glances at him with an expression that he now has no difficulty reading. Betrayal. Anger. Hurt. He feels like the floor has just dropped out and he is free-falling. Sarah instantly focuses back to Nikki and her finger tightens around the trigger. At that moment, Chuck fires his weapon. Chuck's aim is dead on and strikes Sarah square on her chest. Sarah screams out in pain, convulses, and loses her footing. As she falls to the floor, she gets off one poorly-aimed shot at Nikki which impacts her left shoulder. Sarah's shot was too late however. Nikki had gotten to the Enter key first.

It took mere nanoseconds for the keystroke to signal the trigger to fire. The Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator, more commonly known as an E-bomb exploded. Eighty five layers of conductive metal discs arranged in a cylinder deformed when the plastic explosive packed between them detonated. The explosion propagated outward from the axis of the cylinder deforming the metal discs and acting as a conductive piston. The conductive piston compressed the magnetic field inside each disc creating an inductive current. The induced current from all eighty five discs reached maximum was shunted to the load. An electromagnetic pulse measured in tens of terawatts was directed at the many racks of hardware and software that made up the Beta Intersect. Despite being hardened against EMP attacks, the Beta Intersect couldn't withstand a pulse from within the EMP shielding. The Beta Intersect ceased to function and all data stored within was lost.


	2. Ch 2 Three point six weeks ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 2 – 3.6 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Buy More, Buy More Plaza, Los Angeles, 4:11pm on a weekday**

"Fat Albert."

Anna, Jeff, and Lester were manning the Nerd Herd station having an impromptu contest with Morgan who stood across the counter from them. The Buy More had not been very busy of late and this was yet another boring afternoon where everyone swore that time had somehow slowed. Morgan had been telling everyone that things were slow because of the recession. The 'recession' quickly became his default reason for not doing any work when customers did shop. He couldn't unload a truck or rearrange a shelf of DVD's since we were in a recession. He began using the word recession in sentences where it didn't even make sense. Big Mike eventually had enough and told Morgan that in a recession, unemployment rises and that he would be the first to go. Morgan stopped mentioning the recession after that even though he still thought it was the cause of all his problems. 

The contest between the three Ho's from Chuck's Stable and the Green Shirt had been going on for thirty minutes. Traffic in the store was so light that they had run out of people. People to use as subjects in "What fictional film, TV, or animation character does that person most resemble?"

Big Mike had just walked in the entrance carrying his second afternoon snack. He had heard that eating more meals in a day served to speed up one's metabolism. He didn't hear the part that mentioned portion control. He was carrying a Happy Burrito from the Buy More Plaza's Mucho Mucho Mas restaurant, and a diet Coke.

Jeff had blurted out "Fat Albert" before anyone else which caused the four contestants to immediately double over in laughter. Big Mike saw them looking his way and laughing, so he changed direction and walked over to the Nerd Herd desk on his way to his office. The laughter stopped as he marched toward the desk and all eyes were quickly averted. Anna looked at her monitor and Morgan grabbed an installation work order, the only piece of paper in reach. Lester was going to grab the work order but having reacted too slowly, now grabbed the stapler in front of him and opened the top, checking to see if more staples were needed from the storage room. Jeff reacted even slower than Lester and was caught without anything to focus on. He just kept staring at Big Mike as he approached and gave him a wink when he arrived. 

"I hear that we're in a recession people. You know what that means? It means that our current level of sales does not support our current number of employees. That means that unemployment needs to rise to balance things out." With that, Big Mike felt he had made his point and walked towards his office. Burritos just weren't as good after all the juices had soaked the tortilla.

The imminent danger to their continued employment gone, the four returned to the contest. 

A very skinny man entered the contestant's stage in front of the Nerd Herd desk from the PS3 games section with close cropped hair and a Flash t-shirt underneath his unzipped Caltech hooded sweatshirt. Lester exclaims "Sheldon Cooper!" The other three look questioningly at him prompting him to explain "the guy who is the roommate of the guy that the guy from _Roseanne _plays in _The Big Bang Theory!"_ The questioning looks linger on Lester for a moment before everyone processes his explanation and sighs "Oh yeah." Lester tsk tsk's them before calling them "media dullards." They respond that they haven't seen any episodes of the show because of the writer's strike.

A voluptuous and attractive Japanese woman with purple highlights emerges from the digital camera area and saunters toward the registers. "Major Motoko Kusanagi from _Ghost in the Shell_" Morgan quickly says. Jeff, Lester and Morgan stare at the 'Major' until she disappears around a display near the registers. They sigh in unison then give each other high fives. "I'd tap that even if she is a cyborg!"

"Morgan!" Anna shouts.

Before Morgan can respond, Chuck walks up from the digital camera area and enters the circle of conversation. "Lemme guess…today it's what fictional film, TV, or animation character does that person most resemble?" Morgan and Anna smile and nod while Jeff and Lester nod uneasily. Chuck always seems to know what they're doing. 

"Motoko Kusanagi right?" Chuck asks. He now sees dumbfounded and open-mouthed gapes. "What, how…" Lester sputters. Chuck gets a smug look on his face and points to each one of their foreheads in succession. "You think you guys are clever? I know you better than you know yourselves!" 

"Wait a minute" Anna says, "you just came from cameras too. You know purple hair or something?"

Morgan is unable to hold it in any longer and bursts out laughing causing Chuck to do the same. They then high five each other. 

"Mariko, as purple hair is more appropriately known, bought a camera last week. It broke and she came in today to pick up a new one. Morgan sold her the original and I helped her when she brought in the defective one. Morgan told her she resembled the Major but luckily, Mariko knows her anime and was quite flattered." Chuck explained.

"You guys have cheated and violated the circle of trust" Lester says. "I say that Grimes forfeits and that Chuck can't play anymore."

Casey is the next person to walk in front of the Nerd Herd desk carrying a BeastMaster 3000 Grilling Accessories box. Noticing the four idle civilians and one idle government asset shooting the breeze, he looks at them with a sneer. What a waste of time he thinks. Unproductive people are a particular dislike of his. 

"That, my friends, is a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101" Chuck says. "Emotionless, big, mean, and he only has four responses to every question. Except instead of short phrases, they're different grunts."

Everyone can instantly see Casey as a Terminator and laughter ensues.

Chuck looks toward the entrance just as Sarah enters. She spots him instantly, smiles, and starts walking over to the Nerd Herd desk. His boring, endless shift just got better. She had mentioned at lunch that she would be ending her shift at the Wienerlicious early today but hadn't said when. A smile forms on Chuck's face simply from the sight of her. It reoccurs to him how ridiculous Sarah's Wienerlicious uniform is, but it does serve the purpose of exposing a large portion of her legs. And she definitely wasn't lacking in that area (or any other). Since their 'moment' on the rooftop helipad a week ago, things had essentially returned to their version of normal. Team Chuck had not gone on a mission as the agents and their bosses in Washington D.C. examined all their protocols and methods to see how Fulcrum had gotten so close. 

Chuck had gone into a funk after realizing that at a moment's notice, he could not only be killed on a regular mission but captured and tortured by Fulcrum. On top of that, his own protectors, the CIA and the NSA were prepared to snatch him away from the things that mattered most to him and 'disappear' him. Sarah had retreated back into her professionally caring handler mode and no mention was made of Chuck's declarations that night. Chuck didn't mind as he needed a little break from the burden of the U.S. Government's most valuable intelligence asset literally being on his shoulders. After a week, he was definitely feeling more like himself, only a little emboldened from the way he brought up their 'relationship' on the rooftop. She had definitely responded positively since he never thought Sarah would cry, especially for him. He knew she didn't talk about her feelings but from her actions, he felt like things with her were getting more 'real.'

Lost in his thoughts, Chuck is snapped back to reality when Morgan says "T-X. Sarah is the Terminatrix. Tall, lean and lethal to the hearts of men everywhere. Has she ever shown you her Terminatrix side Chuck? Has she ever whipped you into submission? Wa-chhh!"

Anna yells "Morgan!" even louder than before and with an implied threat for later. She continues, "_Terminator 3_ isn't even canon. _The Sarah Connor Chronicles_ clearly establishes that _T3_ does not occur in the same timeline as the show."

"That's a nice point babe, but since when has being canon been part of the accepted rules for our little contest? Huh?"

Anna's face darkened in an instant and she made a move to punch Morgan's arm over the counter. Morgan backed out of her reach and continued his taunting. "What are you going to do now, hop over this counter and attack me? Huh?"

"You better watch out Morgan." Jeff warned. "All the girls who work at the Buy More Plaza can get froggy on your ass." He then winked at Anna.

"Froggy? What the hell does that mean?" Chuck asks. His eyes are still following Sarah and she should be in earshot in a few seconds. 

"I think we have some work to do. Uhh…we need to check all the staplers to make sure that nobody runs out of staples" Lester nervously says as he keeps an eye on Sarah. He directs an angry and nervous glare at Jeff and mutters something under his breath before grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away. They shuffle off to the storeroom.

"Sarah is Mrs. Smith" Anna says.

Chuck looks questioningly at her and she explains "Sarah is Mrs. Jane Smith from _Mr. and Mrs. Smith._ She's probably just like Angelina Jolie was in the movie, leading a dual life working at the Wienerlicious during the day, then seducing and assassinating bad guys at night. There seems to be so much more to her than we see, like the tip of an iceberg. How else could someone so pretty and overqualified for her job end up making corn dogs AND drive a Porsche?"

Chuck is flabbergasted by Anna's improbably accurate assessment of Sarah. He can't stop the question from escaping his mouth. "So if Sarah is a tip-of-an-iceberg spy and corn dog maker, do you think that Casey is also living a dual life?

Thankfully, Anna doesn't make the connection between Sarah and Casey that Chuck inadvertently set up, and responds "Oh no, he's definitely a Terminator. The only question you have to ask yourself is whether he's here to save us or kill us all."

Morgan runs with Anna's characterization of Sarah. "That makes you Mr. John Smith buddy. You're just like Brad Pitt dude, working at the Buy More during the day and killing IRA terrorists at backroom poker games. Only you do your killing online. Wait, so what does that make me?"

Sarah arrives just in time to save Chuck from having to continue this suddenly awkward conversation. 

"That makes you the third wheel to Chuck and Sarah, dear." Anna tells Morgan. Sarah, Morgan, and Anna exchange greetings before Anna drags Morgan off to the break room. Chuck hopes they aren't going to contaminate any surfaces that people put food on.

"Hey" Sarah says to chuck with a smile that matches Chuck's in size. 

"Hey hey" Chuck says through his grin. "I'm glad you got out early today. I wish I could get out of here too, but Big Mike is still here and I have to finish out my shift. Even though nobody's even in here."

"Recession?" Sarah asks. "Recession." Chuck answers before they both start laughing. "Just don't let Big Mike hear you say that. What's on the agenda for tonight? Want to go out somewhere, you know, to sell our cover?"

Sarah has noticed that despite seeming a bit depressed, Chuck has been more confident since the rooftop 'incident.' She hasn't had much time to think about his new confidence since she and Casey have been working nearly twenty-four hours a day trying to find weaknesses in their protection plan. Fulcrum got way too close this time. The suits and brass in D.C. were in a near-panic about the prospect of losing their prized asset. Director Graham wanted to extract Chuck to the secret bunker even after Lizzie was captured, but General Beckman convinced him to leave Chuck and his protectors in place. She didn't know why Beckman had quickly changed her mind on the extraction. 

Sarah suspected that the Beta Intersect was further along than projected but could get no confirmation from her sources. Because Bryce had destroyed the Alpha Intersect, the Beta Intersect was now being built on the NSA's home turf, Fort Meade in Maryland. Despite being a 'joint' project, the NSA definitely had lead on this. It could take years before the CIA regained the credibility within the intelligence community that Bryce destroyed. If he brought down Fulcrum, it would go a long way toward restoring the CIA's luster. Of course, practically nobody knew that Bryce was still alive, so any goodwill gained from his work would have to wait for the future. Casey had to know something about the Beta, but he always played dumb when she asked. 

"Chuck, unfortunately we have work to do tonight. Casey and I have to meet with the Science and Technology Directorate to upgrade our equipment. We'll be the first agents to receive the newest cell phones, radios, and comm gear using the latest encryption standard. Everyone is worried that Fulcrum was able to somehow intercept our signals. Regular field agents won't get this gear for another six months. That's how important you are to me." Sarah stammered a bit, "I mean, to Casey and me. I mean to Beckman and Graham. You know what I mean…" She recovered quickly, "You should go with us since you need to get trained on the comm gear too."

Chuck caught her Freudian slip but let it pass. "Yeah, I need to get trained so I can listen to you guys from the car." 

Sarah glared at Chuck, "If you ever stayed there." Chuck's face dropped at her rebuke. Sarah was reminded of how easy it was for her to affect Chuck's mood. She broke into a grin.

"Ha, very funny" Chuck responded with a matching grin. "You almost had me there."

"Ok, so I'll meet you guys at 8. Casey knows where to go so just carpool with him. Save some gas. We're in a recession you know." With that, Sarah leaned into Chuck and gave him a short peck on the lips. "Bye honey!" she said cheerfully before turning and leaving the Buy More. 

Chuck managed to utter a "Bye, sweetie" as he watched Sarah walk away. Did she just kiss him on the lips? Of course it was just a little kiss, and it did serve to promote their cover in the presence of his co-workers, but still. She always kissed him on the cheek in public. 

He could never forget the one time she did kiss him on the lips. He unconsciously brought his fingertips to his lips as his thoughts drifted back to the shipping dock and Bryce's cocoon. In an instant, he was finally over his week-long funk courtesy of Sarah. She always knew exactly what to do or say to make him happy. That kind of connection had to be real he assured himself. They can't teach you that stuff in school.

Casey delivered his box of grilling tools to the latest owner of a BeastMaster 3000. He had quickly become the store's top salesperson of the 60,000BTU units. Moving the grills had become the sole source of enjoyment in Casey's life. This was truly the least enjoyable cover he had ever assumed, although he had to admit that "Team Chuck" had done a lot of good. Bartowski wasn't nearly as annoying as he was when they first met and Walker had actually turned into a decent colleague. Casey liked working alone but he could see the utility of having a skilled and somewhat trustworthy partner. Sarah could never be completely trustworthy since she worked for the CIA, but in his eyes, she had done alright. Regardless, he always kept an eye on her and stayed ready to draw his weapon. She was masterful at manipulation and had no problem making men seek and desire her, including Bartowski. Good thing Casey was damaged goods. He would never fully trust her words and motives. 

Casey's encrypted cell phone rang and the unique 5 digit caller ID indicated that his boss was calling. "Casey here, ma'am" he answered. 

"Major Casey" General Beckman started, "I'm calling to update you on the status of the Beta Intersect. It is now seventy percent operational and should be able to go live within the month. We have begun feeding Echelon data into the NSA portion of the database without any hiccups. Once the Beta Intersect proves reliable, you will be cleared to close the LA operation and get back to doing what you do best."

Casey's winced as if he had just smelled some rotten milk. He was glad Beckman couldn't see him. "Roger that, ma'am. I'll be ready."

"Excellent. In the meantime, your operation will be the first to receive our latest gear and encryption. There is still a window of opportunity for Fulcrum to damage us. Carry on."

Casey snapped his phone shut and suddenly, BeastMaster 3000's were the furthest thing from his mind. _Time to cowboy up_ he told himself.


	3. Ch 3 Three point six weeks ago

_Note: The chapters keep getting bigger and bigger! I have writer's bloat..._

_Let me know what you like and don't like. Is this too big to be one chapter? Hope you enjoy!_

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**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 3 – 3.6 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. 

**CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 6:11pm on a weeknight**

Raymond Johnson III stepped away his large C-shaped desk and straightened his arms above his head, stretching as he walked to the large window. The sun in the western sky turned red as it descended. The smog was thick today. He could at least see far enough to notice the parking lot of vehicles that was Santa Monica Boulevard. By the time he usually left work, the commuters were home watching TV and his limo driver didn't have to check the traffic reports for accidents. Raymond thought of his father and grandfather who had build up Johnson Industries from a garage workbench at the beginning of the 20th century to one of the top five defense contractors in the world by the time he assumed control. Within a year of taking over, he had orchestrated the hostile takeover of Miller North American, then the number three ranked defense contractor to create Miller-Johnson Corporation, the largest defense contractor by a considerable margin. Contrary to tradition, the new entity was named Miller-Johnson instead of Johnson-Miller. This served two purposes. It would stroke the egos of the employees of the Miller North American that he kept, and it would push him a bit out of the spotlight. Raymond enjoyed working in the shadows and always felt that he was best suited to be a puppet master rather than the star. It was much easier to change the ways of the world that way.

His phone beeped and his assistant's voice announced that Mr. Wells had arrived. 

Marcus Wells entered the office wearing the generic office uniform of beige khakis, a blue button-down shirt (top button left open), and a navy blazer. Marcus was the CIO of the Miller-Johnson Corporation and a long-time friend of Raymond. Their kids went to the same schools, their wives went to Pilates together, and they lived less than a mile apart in exclusive Beverly Park. 

As he handed Raymond a fingerprint encrypted flash drive, Marcus explained "Here are the latest statistics on the Beta Intersect ramp up. We're ahead of schedule and the ECHELON integration went perfectly. We should be at initial operational capacity in a few weeks. General Beckman sends her special thanks. She's surprised that for once, a complex, multi-billion dollar contract is not behind schedule and over budget."

"I've always said that private industry, free from governmental regulation and political squabbling produces superior results. It was their loss in not giving us the Alpha Intersect contract." 

"You know I've always agreed, Ray." 

"What's the status of our special project?"

Marcus' face lit up with a grin. "The special project is also ahead of schedule. It should go online when the Beta Intersect does."

"Excellent work Marc, thanks for staying on top of all this. I haven't been able to attend to the details with all my responsibilities. I do feel that we are close to the tipping point that we've been working all our lives to achieve" Raymond said. "Anything else of interest?"

Marcus responded "Two things of note. The CIA, NSA, Homeland, and Secret Service have just begun issuing our latest communication gear to their high-priority operatives. The gear uses the newest AES 3.0 algorithm which will render their signals immune to ECHELON interception for about six months. ECHELON will receive an upgrade at that time to AES 3.0. It means that we will have a six month gap in our ability to listen in. You know how valuable having ECHELON data has been to our companies success. Our analysts have concluded that they intend to use that six month window to move in and crush Fulcrum. They suspect that Fulcrum has been reading their email and listening to their calls. The probability that they will destroy Fulcrum within the six months is about ninety percent."

"Hmm, losing Fulcrum sooner rather than later would cause us some pain, but it would be an acceptable cost. The special project will render them unnecessary anyways. And it would save us a great deal if the U.S. government eliminated them before we have to." Raymond replied. "What's the second thing of note?"

"Our latest refinement of the data mining algorithm for the Beta Intersect has yielded some interesting outliers with the recent introduction of the ECHELON data. It's fortunate that the NSA outsourced all the system testing to us" Marcus said. 

"The fools have unknowingly opened the door to the future. They deserve what's coming." Raymond said. "Has the 'interesting' data been encoded?

"Yeah, it's all on the flash drive. "

"Thanks again Marc. Why don't you go home early today? Say hi to Marsha for me" Raymond said.

"Thanks Ray. I think I'll do that" Marcus said as he turned and exited.

Raymond fingered the flash drive for a moment as he reflected on his life's work. He could barely contain his excitement as he realized that he was nearing an inflection point in history. His inflection point. He plugged the drive into his computer and copied all the data to his personal drive. He then deleted all the data on the flash drive except for the 'interesting' files.

He tapped his phone and his assistant quickly answered, "Yes, Mr. Johnson."

"Is she here yet?

"She is just getting off the elevator sir. She will be there in a few seconds."

Raymond tapped his phone off, removed the flash drive from the computer, and stood to greet his guest.

"Dad, it's good to see you!" his daughter said as she breezed into the office and gave him a big hug.

"Likewise, my dear! How was the meeting in Tel Aviv?"

"Successful. I think the Israeli government is going to grant us a no-bid contract to redesign the Mossad's information architecture. I also got some IDF special forces guys to spar with me."

"You did let them win, right? It's only proper to let the country that invented Krav Maga demonstrate their superiority in it" Raymond said.

"Of course I let them win! We win in the long run with the contract so my ego is very satisfied."

"That's my girl. This will be your office when I'm done. Your judgment and instincts are exemplary."

"Thanks dad, but I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a while. Right now, I'm most interested in going home, taking a shower, and sleeping off this jetlag."

"Of course. Nikki, as soon as you get settled in, have a look at this" Raymond said as he handed her the flash drive.

"Sure dad. Ok, I'm out of here. See you tomorrow!" she said as she grabbed the drive and hurried out. 

Raymond, alone again in his office, returned to his desk to review the latest Beta Intersect test results. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance at this point.

**In front of shuttered CompUSA store, Fallbrook Shopping Center, West Hills, 9:35pm **

"Why did we have to drive out to the valley for this? With all the resources of the United States Government at our disposal, you couldn't have chosen a closer place? Or had the gear shipped to our door?" Chuck complained as he exited the black Suburban a few steps behind Sarah and Casey. They had met Sarah around the corner where she parked her Porsche a few minutes earlier, then drove around the neighborhood several times. The agents didn't reply but kept scanning their surroundings as they headed toward a darkened storefront. "You're kidding, we're going to do this at an old CompUSA?"

Casey who had been unusually silent during the slow drive up the 101 replied, "We wanted to put you into a familiar retail environment Chuck. We don't want you fainting or screaming like a girl at something that scares you."

"Hey! You shot Bryce right in front of me, and we were falling out of a really tall building. I heard you scream on the way down too!"

"I roared like a man. There's a big difference."

Sarah cut in, "That's enough children. Chuck, we are in a heightened state of alert at the moment and have to break all our patterns, in case Fulcrum is still onto us. Plus, who would expect a top secret joint-CIA-NSA operation to take place in a CompUSA?"

Chuck considered her logic and silently agreed.

The windows of the store were completely dark so Chuck nearly screamed when the main door suddenly slid sideways, wide enough to let one person fit through. The door closed immediately once all three had passed through. Inside, flashlights provided minimal illumination. Sarah and Casey were greeted by several men dressed in black and wearing ski masks with their MP5 sub-machine guns pointed down, but ready to fire. A masked man holding a biometric scanner placed his thumb onto the unit, and showed the results on a small LCD screen to the agents. Sarah, then Casey placed their left thumbs onto the scanner while their right hands rested on their holstered pistols. Having found the results satisfactory, the masked man signaled the others to stand down and proceeded to remove his mask. He stood about six feet tall, with brown hair and eyes, and sported a goatee. With a slight grin, he said "Agent Martinez at your disposal."

Chuck and his handlers were led to a large tent set up inside the empty store that was made of what looked like nylon with a metal mesh embedded in it. "It's designed to create an electronically sterile space to verify the new equipment" Agent Martinez answered before asked.

Inside the tent, a long table displayed the latest encrypted communications gear from the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology. To Chuck, most of the technology looked familiar and mundane. The two-way radios, iPhones, earwigs, microphones, bugs, and racks of monitoring components resembled off-the-shelf technology. Once again, Agent Martinez read his mind. 

"These devices are all designed using conventional off-the-shelf technology as the façade to reduce suspicion. I assure you though, that the internal components are on the bleeding-edge of our capabilities. The new modular AES 3.0 piggyback processor can be attached to a wide range of devices and instantly guarantees our highest level of encryption."

Casey and Sarah nodded thoughtfully at the explanation as they picked up and handled the different devices. Chuck was tempted to push the buttons on the front what looked like a police scanner, but restrained himself for once. Casey had seemed more tense than usual and he didn't want to risk any kind of slap or punch that would hurt for days. 

"Who else is getting this equipment now?" Sarah asked.

"Just a handful of folks within the CIA, NSA, Secret Service, and Homeland. A friend of mine on the presidential detail is one of them. You guys must be working with a real VIP" Agent Martinez said.

Casey grunted and replied "You got that right. Very Idiotic, Very Irritating, Very Inadequate, Very Impotent…"

"Hey!" Chuck yelled as Sarah directed a warning glare at Casey. Her annoyance at the childish part of Team Chuck was beginning to show.

Casey stopped talking, but smiled at Chuck while Agent Martinez continued with his presentation. The complexities of the details were many magnitudes beyond the level that Chuck needed to run the Nerd Herd. He zoned out and heard only a few phrases. "Rijndael..., substitution-permutation network…, invertible affine transformation…" He wondered if Sarah and Casey actually understood this.

Chuck's inattention inspired Casey to take another shot. He heard some words he finally understood. 

"Look alive, Bartowski!"

Chuck looked towards Casey in time to see the object heading towards his face, but too late to catch it. After deflecting and bobbling the device several times, the state-of-the-art encrypted, cell phone/PDA/organizer/camera/media player masquerading as an iPhone hit the floor and broke into several pieces.

"Dammit Casey!" Sarah yelled as she directed yet another angry look at him. "Leave Chuck alone! Do you know how much that phone costs?"

"I didn't drop it!" Casey roared. "You can take it out of Chuck's salary. He can pay it back in a year."

Chuck replied, "These things are encrypted to the highest standard in the world, but you can't drop them? I can get us all iPhone jackets from the store that would protect…" 

Sarah directed her angry glare at Chuck which silenced him instantly. He had nearly compromised their cover.

Chagrined, Chuck bent down to pick up the fragments of the iPhone. As he picked up the tiny AES 3.0 module, he saw the small Miller-Johnson imprint on the side. It was enough to trigger a flash.

Images and information flooded his mind. An image of Tommy, the Fulcrum agent who held him at gunpoint on Black Friday. Images of Tommy cleaning his bloody knife. Tommy's file. A list of various Fulcrum agents. An image of Miller-Johnson's Century City headquarters. A spreadsheet detailing all the defense contracts of Miller-Johnson. Interrogation reports of captured Fulcrum agents showing their previous employer as Miller-Johnson. 

To Agent Martinez, this Chuck guy looked like a real klutz as he zoned out and fell down while trying to pick up the broken iPhone. Sarah and Casey recognized the flash right away and kneeled down by Chuck's side. 

"Chuck, what is it?"

The flash ended and Chuck processed the experience. 

"Miller-Johnson Corporation. Giant defense contractor supplying everything from ships and radar systems to this encryption device. Several captured Fulcrum agents have all worked for them, probably as mercenaries. I think there's a connection between them and Fulcrum."

Sarah and Casey stared at Chuck, then at each other with very concerned looks. Casey had no idea what to say next.

**Hillside home of Nikki Johnson, Hollywood Hills, 10:50pm **

Nikki Johnson was exhausted after a busy week in Israel. She had been given unlimited access to the government's power brokers and decision makers by virtue of father's connections, and the respect given to the Miller-Johnson Corporation by the United States' allies. They were all pleased by the effectiveness of Miller-Johnson's products and services. The enemies of the United States and its allies hated Miller-Johnson for the same reason.

After taking a shower and eating a salad delivered by Pink Dot, she turned on her desktop. As it booted up, she reflected on her father's recent cheerfulness. Something big must be about to happen. He had always been a brilliant, driven perfectionist, traits she possessed in equal degree. She never knew what traits she inherited from her mother besides her good looks and natural grace. Her mother disappeared from her life a long time ago. 

Her father was a die-hard advocate of capitalism's efficiencies and had achieved great success convincing slow and wasteful governments to outsource their services to his company. She remembered one of his greatest successes, the one that convinced the U.S. Government that outsourcing was the future. 

The CIA had solicited private industry for proposals on two projects. They had a 'Project O' that sought to identify individuals who could excel in pattern recognition, and a 'Project P' that would identify individuals who could excel in predictive analytics. 

Her father had already been researching those areas for years so he had a head start over his competition that they couldn't overcome. Miller-Johnson received the contracts from the CIA to develop the framework for the two programs. After two years of work, Miller-Johnson delivered the framework to the CIA in return for a polite thank you, and a great deal of money. She never knew whether the CIA acted on the results as the projects were highly compartmentalized. They must have been impressed though since the door opened to other contracts after that. She did know that based on a series of tests her father gave her, she was the highest scoring person in pattern recognition and predictive analytics that they knew of. 

Her father saw great promise in the two fields and folded the research done for the CIA into his research for Subliminal Image Recognition. Nikki excelled at that too. Techniques were developed to encode vast amounts of data into a single image. A trained individual could view that image and retain and absorb all the data contained within. That individual could then connect seemingly random data to see patterns that nobody else did, and make accurate predictions that nobody else could. Unfortunately, Miller-Johnson still didn't know how to 'train' a normal person to retain the data. Nor had they worked out the accurate prediction part. Nikki seemed to have been born with the Subliminal Image Recognition ability. She was therefore her father's greatest secret and asset. She was the only person who could 'flash.'

She had clandestinely used her ability to negotiate contracts, find weaknesses in competitors, identify unexploited sources of revenue, and determine how Miller-Johnson's investments should be allocated. 

Her father's data collection resources were immense. The data would be mined and statistically significant results got encoded into subliminal images that she would view. All the data contained within would be absorbed by her brain. At their current stage of research, it took some kind of trigger to activate the subliminal recall. In the future, it was hoped that people could be trained to activate the recall at will.

Nikki plugged in the flash drive and spent a few minutes on each image slide. She could 'feel' the information entering her mind, just out of reach of her consciousness. After finishing the dozen slides, she took a moment to compose herself. Scanning anything beyond fifteen slides usually led to a headache.

She opened another file on the drive that contained a probable list of trigger words and phrases. These were mined from the ECHELON data that her father collected. ECHELON was the global signals collection network run by the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., the NSA was the primary signals intelligence agency so the majority of the world's electronic communication including emails, phone calls, faxes, and text messages were funneled into the NSA's vast computing resources. Most of this information was worthless to those tasked with protecting America's citizens and interests so arcane data mining algorithms isolated the most significant parts. 

Miller-Johnson had been the contractor long responsible for upgrading the ECHELON hardware at Fort Meade. The NSA had granted her father a temporary ECHELON data shunt to the Century City headquarters in order to test and refine the data mining algorithms. The NSA credited the shunt for contributing to the Beta Intersect's timely construction thus far. They did not know that Raymond Johnson had found a way to keep the shunt open. Miller-Johnson had been using ECHELON data to profit for eight years.

The list of trigger words was a page long. Nikki sighed and considered putting the whole enterprise off until the next day. She decided to grind through as many as she could until she fell asleep. She read the first line.

'Anderson.' Nothing

'Hedge Fund Collapse.' Nothing

'Lohan.' Huh? Nothing

'Echelon.'

Nikki flashed as her mind recalled an encrypted phone call between General Beckman of the NSA and an agent in LA. The agent was located in a Buy More store. 

LA Agent: _"Major Casey."_

General Beckman: _"I'm calling to update you on the status of the Beta Intersect. It is now 70 operational and should be able to go live within the month. We have begun feeding ECHELON data into the NSA portion of the database without any hiccups. Once the Beta Intersect proves reliable, you will be cleared to close the LA operation and get back to doing what you do best."_

Major Casey: _"Roger that, ma'am. I'll be ready."_

General Beckman: _"Excellent. In the meantime, your operation will be the first to receive our latest gear and encryption. There is still a window of opportunity for Fulcrum to damage us. Carry on."_

Nikki wondered what kind of operation the NSA was running in LA that could be closed down once the Beta Intersect went live. All of the encoded data she had absorbed contained no further information. It had to be something very big as Fulcrum was mentioned. Nikki lost the urge to sleep and continued down the list of triggers.

'Lakers.' Nothing

'Hot Water Heater." Nothing

'Alpha Intersect."

Nikki flashed and recalled a large empty room whose surfaces were actually composed of displays. The mission file stated that a CIA agent named Bryce Larkin had been recruited by Fulcrum to download and destroy the Alpha Intersect. He failed, the Alpha Intersect was destroyed and the data lost. Bryce was then killed by NSA Major John Casey. 

Casey!

The next trigger was 'Long Shore.'

Nikki flashed onto a case file of a CIA agent recently KIA. He was shot on an LA rooftop by a Fulcrum agent named Lizzie. Long Shore had been posing as a police officer investigating a robbery at a Buy More in order to extract a package. _The same Buy More Casey was calling from!_

She wrote down 'Buy More' and looked at the phrase to see she had any could recall any relevant information. She instantly flashed and so many images entered her mind she felt that her head would explode. Work orders to install encrypted video conferencing. Orders for an NSA clean up crew. CIA orders to rob the store. The rest of the images entered and left her awareness almost too fast to register. She caught an image of Bryce Larkin, the CIA agent who destroyed the Alpha Intersect. A Stanford student body ID card with the picture of a guy in a cap. His roommate Charles Bartowski. Test scores. 

Her mind became instantly clear and silent. She made notes of all her flashes and decided to call it a night. A nasty headache had set in. Before shutting down her computer, she went to the Buy More website and clicked to the particular store in question, the Buy More Plaza location. She tried most of the links but didn't find anything of interest until clicking to the Nerd Herd page. There she saw a picture of Charles Bartowski and his fellow nerds. He looked a bit older than his college ID, but it was recognizably him. _What the hell was going on?_

She tried to connect the dots. Major Casey of the NSA was running an operation in LA. An operation that would be shut down once the Beta Intersect was running and something that Fulcrum wanted to damage. He had killed the Fulcrum recruit Bryce Larkin who destroyed the Alpha Intersect. The CIA and NSA had spent millions on upgrades to the Buy More, then robbed it and inserted Long Shore to pose as a cop, then extract a package. 

She looked at the Nerd Herd picture of Charles Bartowski. He was Bryce's roommate at Stanford. His roommate after Bryce had been recruited into the CIA. 

They had been college roommates. Casey killed Bryce. Bartowski worked at the Buy More. Lots of things happened at the Buy More. Casey would shut it down after the Beta Intersect went live…

_O M F G!_

The Alpha Intersect wasn't destroyed by Bryce Larkin. The NSA and CIA were using it. Casey was protecting it. She wasn't alone…


	4. Ch 4 Two point nine weeks ago

_note: Happy Easter! Continuing my trend of longer and longer chapters..._

* * *

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 4 – 2.9 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Buy More, Buy More Plaza, Los Angeles, 11:24pm on a weekday**

Nikki Johnson had been in the Buy More for twenty minutes. She had subtly scanned the faces and body movement of everyone in the store and had identified the Major Casey she heard speaking to General Beckman. She walked randomly among the Buy More's different sections and disguised her scanning to avoid catching Casey's attention. She wore a simple pair of blue jeans along with a black blouse that helped her blend in with the store's other shoppers. Casey was a large imposing man who obviously had a higher fitness level than any other employees and moved with confidence and menace. His continually roving eyes confirmed his identity as a covert agent. It also helped that she had read his confidential NSA jacket.

After her revelation about the Alpha Intersect, she requested that her father get her all the intelligence he could find on the unusual happenings at the Buy More. Their corporation's involvement in the Beta Intersect granted them access to much of what they needed. As usual, the government was none the wiser. With the Beta at only seventy percent status, some things were incomplete but she was confident she could fill in the blanks with her own effort.

Major John Casey was one of the NSA's top covert operatives. In the U.S. Air Force, he began his career after graduating among the top ten percent of his Air Force Academy class. He then flew F-16's before transitioning over to the F-117. Nikki absently wondered how a man that large ever fit in the cockpit. Casey then moved over the AF Special Operations Command where he became a combat controller. He performed admirably and with heroism in several clandestine ops providing GPS coordinates and lasing targets behind enemy lines. He was one of the first ten Americans on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11. There were a few holes in her intelligence after that, but it seemed that Casey fell upon some dark times when some operations went bad. He was recruited by the NSA and after a year of covert agent training, was active in several operations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He was recalled to D.C. and worked out of the capital for about ten months before he responded to a breech of the Alpha Intersect and killed Bryce Larkin. He had a reputation as a sadistic lone wolf assassin and his impressive kill stats bore that out.

Charles Bartowski was easy to identify. A tall, gangly fellow with wildly curly hair, he led the Nerd Herd tech support team and spent most of his time behind the team's desk. The other employees appeared to orbit around him, especially a short, animated, man with a beard. They approached at various times for technical advice or help with customers. He motivated the other Nerd Herd workers to be productive and helpful. He was never out of Casey's sight.

Nikki couldn't help but wonder why a guy who went to Stanford was working here. Was he really the Alpha Intersect? She had to give the NSA and CIA credit for stashing it in plain sight. It was a brilliant and foolish at the same time. If she were in charge, she would lock it up somewhere safe.

A tall, lithe, blond woman entered the store and walked directly towards Bartowski setting off warning bells in Nikki's mind. Her intelligence indicated that the CIA had their own handler on site, an agent going by Sarah Walker, but an image of her was hard to come by. She had altered her appearance on several previous CIA operations and much of her CIA jacket was missing from the available seventy percent of the Beta Intersect. Nikki did know that Agent Walker was one the CIA's top operatives and was highly regarded for her ability to establish extremely deep covers, especially with members of the male gender. She had seen the evidence herself.

The woman wore the most ridiculous Fraulein costume she had ever seen, but her blue eyes exposed her true self much as Major Casey's had. They constantly scanned the store for threats and read everyone's face assessing intents and capabilities. Nikki had to look away for fear of being noticed. Walker's body movements were measured and relaxed, ready to attack or defend in an instant, as required. She was definitely the CIA part of this operation.

She noticed that Bartowski and Agent Walker shared matching smiles as she approached and greeted him. They must have had some sort of romantic cover as they both seemed to share an attraction for each other. If Bartowski was some kind of CIA agent, which she doubted more with each passing second, a romantic cover would make sense. If he was a civilian caught up in this whole thing, which she believed was the case, a romantic cover would still make sense but for different reasons. Agent Walker probably approached Bartowski feigning romantic interest and he just couldn't help himself. She probably had instant control over the situation. She could dangle the prospect of a real relationship in front of him and keep him off-balance and controllable. She could get intimate with him and get him to 'love' her again keeping him off-balance and controllable. The options were all hers.

Major Casey approached the two and said something that caused Bartowski to grimace and the CIA agent to grin. The three then walked to the home theater room and closed the curtains. She figured they must be using the expensive videoconferencing equipment that the CIA had installed. Nikki didn't identify any other operatives in the store so she relaxed a bit. She would make her move once they emerged.

**Home Theater Room; Buy More, Buy More Plaza, Los Angeles, 11:29pm on a weekday**

It took less than a minute for the encrypted connection to be established between Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. General Beckman alone faced Chuck, Sarah, and Casey.

"We received your message about Chuck's latest flash. The Miller-Johnson Corporation is the largest defense contractor in the world and supplies a wide range of technology and other services to the U.S. government. One of their services is to provide contractors that provide protection around the world. Many of the world's leaders and VIP's are protected by Miller-Johnson. It would not be unusual for many of their ex-employees to be recruited into Fulcrum afterwards because of their high level of skill. No further investigation is necessary."

"Yes ma'am, but seeing that they're also supplying the AES 3.0 encryption gear, and that Fulcrum was able to nearly compromise our operation, don't you think that we should all be extra careful?" Casey replied.

"We are being extra careful, major. The CEO of the Miller-Johnson Corporation is a friend of mine. He and his executives have all been vetted. I spoke to him about this matter yesterday and he assured me that any connection his company has to rogue agents is coincidental. Nevertheless, he agreed to investigate anything suspicious on his end. Considering the vital nature of some of their current contracts, I would say he is a true patriot and above suspicion."

Sarah responded, unconvinced, "Yes ma'am. However, it would be no trouble for us to do a little investigating on our end as well. Their corporate headquarters is here in LA and…"

"You are not to go near their headquarters or any of their employees. As I said, Raymond Johnson and his corporation are above suspicion. Case closed."

Casey and Sarah were both about to object again when Chuck spoke up.

"General, what is the nature of their current government contracts that puts them above suspicion?"

"Mr. Bartowski, the nature of those contracts is that they are way above your pay grade."

"I don't even get paid by the government..."

"Exactly. This discussion is over." General Beckman firmly said. "Chuck, would you please leave the room? I have something to discuss with agents Casey and Walker."

"Sure, no problem" Chuck said. "Don't say anything bad about me behind my back you guys."

Sarah smiled slightly and Casey sneered as Chuck walked out and secured the door.

"I'd like to give you both the latest update on the Beta Intersect…"

**Buy More, Buy More Plaza, Los Angeles, 11:38pm on a weekday**

Chuck walked back to the empty Nerd Herd desk after being excused. He always wondered what they talked about when he wasn't in the room. Maybe they were discussing ways to keep him in the car on the next mission.

He noticed a tall, striking brunette walking toward him. Her blue eyes were focused directly on him and he withered a bit at the intensity of her stare. She moved with a cat-like grace and confidence. After the butterflies in his stomach began fluttering, he was reminded of the first time he met Sarah. He could almost hear Morgan. _Vicki Vale…_

"Hi!" she cheerfully greeted.

"Hello" Chuck nervously answered. "What can I help you with?"

"I was hoping you could help me with this little problem" she said, canting her head and displaying a wide, inviting smile. Chuck smiled back in kind.

"My Blackberry is all messed up" she continued. "Here, take a look…"

Nikki turned the Blackberry towards Chuck and pushed a button displaying an image. An image of a yellow rose in front of a large house.

She noticed Chuck's eyes lose their focus and his eyelids droop. _Damn, he really was the Alpha Intersect! Time to execute the plan…_

"Cardinal One is the top…" Chuck started to say before catching himself and closing his mouth. He looked like he was about to wet his pants.

Nikki stared directly into his eyes for a long time making Chuck squirm even more. She had learned over years of flashing how to control her reactions when it happened. Only the most trained observer could notice a difference in her when she did. He must be relatively new at it, which fit into the timeline of when Larkin destroyed the Alpha Intersect.

She finally took a little pity on him. "Cardinal One is the top Moscow spy in the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs." She smiled sweetly. "That's what you were going to say, right?"

Chuck didn't respond and Nikki worried that he really did wet himself.

"Who are you?"

"Let's just say I'm someone who knows exactly what you're going through."

"What are you talking about? Wha…, Me…, I'm not going through anything."

"Charles…" Nikki started.

"Chuck" he instantly corrected.

"Ok. Chuck, I want to start out on the right foot with you and lay all my cards out on the table. I'm sure that in your current situation, a little honesty will be refreshing. My name is Nikki Johnson and I work for the Miller-Johnson Corporation. My father is Raymond Johnson and he is the CEO. We are the largest defense contractor in the world and supply a wide range of products and services to the U.S. government. Several months ago, your old Stanford roommate Bryce Larkin was recruited by Fulcrum and destroyed the Alpha Intersect. The Alpha Intersect was a joint NSA-CIA project that pooled all their intelligence and searched for meaningful patterns. The intelligence was encoded into subliminal images that were designed for instant recall by trained agents. The best-trained agents could absorb one or two images but then came along an exception named Charles…"

"Chuck" he again corrected.

Nikki smiled, "An exception named Chuck Bartowski who could absorb all the images. The NSA and CIA are now using the intersect, better known as Chuck Bartowski and sent Agents Casey and Walker to take care of it. How am I doing so far?"

Chuck gaped back at her in shock and fear. "I'm…going to go get my friends…and be right back, ok?"

"Chuck, this will go so much smoother if we keep them out of it. I'm sure John and Sarah will come out after they're done talking with the bosses in D.C."

Frozen in place, he stammered "Ok, I'm freaking out now!"

Nikki reached across the counter and grabbed his hand. Chuck flinched initially but then relaxed a bit at her touch.

"I'm not Fulcrum and I'm not a bad guy. In fact, our corporation is one of the good guys. We're helping to build the Beta Intersect. Would General Beckman grant us that kind of access if we were bad? If she hasn't already told you, our corporation and employees have all been vetted and can be trusted."

"She did mention something like that" Chuck said, relaxing a bit more.

"Good. Now all we need to do is have a little dinner at my place and I can explain it all to you. I have something to offer you that I'm sure you'll be interested in. You have been scheduled for a Nerd Herd home service call tonight at my house in the Hollywood Hills at 7:30. No need to dress up; just wear whatever makes you comfy. We can just do pizza if you want."

Nikki's Blackberry beeped as a text message came in. She read it and looked back to a dumbfounded Chuck.

"Excellent, it's time to meet John and Sarah."

Chuck turned and saw the home theater room's curtains being drawn open as Sarah and Casey emerged. They instantly noticed his agitated look and looked around for immediate threats. Not seeing any, they walked purposefully towards him. Casey looked at Nikki with suspicion. Sarah looked at her with suspicion and animosity.

"Ok, Chuck, it's a date then! Don't be late!" Nikki cheerfully exclaimed. She was still holding Chuck's hand and gave it a little shake which amped up the hostility emanating from Sarah. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends? Is it more appropriate to go by the term handlers, Agents Walker and Casey?"

Casey and Sarah instantly reached for their concealed pistols and were ready to draw when Chuck snapped alert and halted them.

"This is Nikki Johnson, daughter of Raymond Johnson who is the CEO of the Miller-Johnson Corporation. They know about our little secret and are building the Beta version of our little secret. She knows General Beckman and knows that she confirmed that they're trustworthy" he spit out.

Casey and Sarah kept their hands on their pistol grips but didn't draw. They slid sideways to bracket Nikki with their lines-of-fire if they did.

"Can you explain what you're doing here? You are interfering in a top secret operation and are endangering lives!" Sarah spat.

"I'm just here to say hello. And to invite Chuck over for pizza tonight at my place. We have intersect business to discuss" Nikki answered with a confident grin.

"No way in hell that's going to happen!" Casey growled.

"I think it will Major. If Chuck doesn't show up for his scheduled Nerd Herd appointment, then I and by extension the Miller-Johnson Corporation will have to file a formal complaint with Buy More's CEO. The CEO of Buy More and my father sit on several boards together so they'll have ample opportunity to talk. And tell him about how the NSA and CIA are running an op out of one of his stores endangering the lives of his customers and employees and threatening the reputation of his corporation. Tell him that one of his green-shirts is really an NSA killer under cover. Maybe tell him that I caught one of his Nerd Herders in the Buy More theater room with his Wienerlicious girlfriend-slash-CIA-agent down on her knees."

Sarah and Chuck both blushed, with Sarah recovering quickly. Sarah looked at Chuck while Chuck looked down. Nikki assessed that they probably hadn't been intimate (yet). There was definitely something there that she could exploit.

"What if we get the Buy More CEO to play ball with us and just blow off your little pizza party?" Casey continued.

"He might, but do you want to take the chance more people could find out about Chuck? Do you really want to get the CEO of Buy More top secret clearance?

Defeated, Casey smoldered silently.

"I'm a little confused." Sarah said. "Why did you make contact like this?"

"Well we wouldn't want that, would we?" Nikki retorted while smiling at Sarah.

Sarah thought of kicking her in her face. Her beautiful, confident face. _Damn!_ Sarah realized that Nikki had approached Chuck much as she had except without the pretense of a cover. She was going to use Sarah's secrecy against her and drive a wedge between her and her asset. Between her and Chuck. _Bitch!_

"There's no need for us to fight. We can all be friends! We're all on the same side. Since you two government employees have been ordered to stay from Miller-Johnson and its employees, I'm sorry you can't join us for pizza tonight. I'm sure you can give Chuck a ride over though. I'll have a pizza sent down to the Suburban if you like. And don't try and wire Chuck or try and listen in. We supply that kind of gear to you guys, remember?" Nikki said. With a final shake of Chuck's hand, she turned and walked away. "I can't wait to see you all again, especially you Chuck."

Team Chuck stood at the Nerd Herd desk and watched Nikki exit the Buy More. They were all looking in different directions and not seeing anything as they processed what had just happened. Casey finally spoke up.

"Back to the theater room in five. I'll get Beckman back."

Casey went to set up the videoconference leaving Chuck and Sarah alone. Chuck looked Sarah in the eyes.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm freaking out here!"

"Chuck, we're going to sort this out and it will be ok. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Sarah reached across and grabbed Chuck's hand for reassurance. When he looked down at their hands and back up in her eyes, Sarah realized that Chuck saw the parallels between Nikki's dramatic introduction and her own several months ago. There was now some doubt in his mind about her intentions, doubt that she had worked hard to eliminate from the beginning. She released his hand.

"Let's just see what Beckman says" Chuck said simply as he walked to the theater room with Sarah in tow.

**Hillside home of Nikki Johnson, Hollywood Hills, 7:19pm **

As Nikki had planned, General Beckman had warned Casey and Sarah to stay away from her, her father, and his company. While she wasn't pleased that Miller-Johnson knew about Chuck, she was surprisingly unaffected by it and ordered Chuck to proceed with the pizza dinner. She explained that any help that Chuck could provide with the Beta Intersect was greatly appreciated.

Sarah had backed the Suburban right up Nikki's driveway and parked by the front door. There was no need to try and hide their presence. True to her word, the agents were unable to get any kind of listening device to work. Parabolic and laser microphones got nothing but static from the home's walls and windows. Infra-red cameras couldn't penetrate either.

Chuck perspired in the truck waiting for 7:30 to arrive. They were going over various ways for Chuck to alert them in an emergency when Nikki came out the front door and walked up to them. She was wearing tight blue jeans and a form-fitting white tank-top that left nothing to the imagination. Sarah noticed Chuck's eyes dilate and rubbed the handle of a throwing knife she had handy.

"Good evening, Team Chuck" Nikki greeted. The pizza guy should be here real soon. I got you guys a meat lovers with extra olives. Chuck, you want to come in now?"

With a final look to his handlers, Chuck opened the door and got out. Nikki threw a walkie-talkie into Sarah's lap.

"The encrypted pair unit is in the house and Chuck will check in every hour so you'll know he's fine. We'll leave the channel open, and you can call whenever you like. Let me know if you want more pizza."

With that, Nikki hooked her arm around Chucks and led him inside.

"This sucks more than anything has ever sucked." Sarah said as the pizza delivery guy arrived.

**Hillside home of Nikki Johnson, Hollywood Hills, 8:42pm **

Nikki gave Chuck a short tour of her home before they settled down to eat. She had a beautiful view of downtown LA and the rivers of moving lights below that represented people going about their work and play. Perhaps the two most unique people in the area, or even the county shared the better part of a pizza and some beer. They started out in tense silence but Nikki proved to be a surprisingly friendly and interesting person. Chuck learned that she also lost her mother when young. She shared with him her job duties at her father's company and what they were trying to accomplish by outsourcing the government's services for efficiency. She even went into detail about how Miller-Johnson had originated Project 'O' and Project 'P' which led the CIA and NSA to develop the Alpha Intersect. After months of being the Intersect, Chuck finally got an explanation about how data got encoded into subliminal images. About how they tried to train people to absorb the images without success. As far as he could discern, she answered Chuck's many questions openly and elaborately. He got so caught up that he forgot to check in.

Sarah's voice came over the radio. "Chuck, you doing ok in there?"

"I'm fine. How about you guys?"

"Besides Casey eating all the pizza, we're fine. How much longer do you think you'll be?"

"I'm not sure, but probably a while. I'll tell you all about it later."

"Ok Chuck, be careful."

Chuck pushed his plate away and looked into Nikki's eyes. In a short time, her openness had earned a small bit of Chuck's trust. He was a little less wary around her and a little comfortable. It was enough for her to make her next move.

"I appreciate you inviting me over and giving me the super-confidential history lesson, but can you tell me why I'm really here?"

"Let's go to my office."

Once there, Nikki sat next to Chuck on a couch facing a large wall display. She placed her hand on top of his and got a relaxed response from him. _Good._

"There are three things I'm going to tell you tonight that will rock your world. More than it already has been."

Chuck squeezed her hand back and smiled. "As long as my head doesn't explode, I think I'm ready."

"It won't. I promise. Well, revelation number one is that your handlers, especially Agent Walker, are not to be trusted."

Chuck withdrew his hand from hers and stood up. "What? What do you mean I can't trust Sarah? Do you know how many times she has saved my life? She would take a bullet for me!"

"Chuck, she's doing her job which is to protect you from harm."

"It goes deeper than that. We're friends."

"She is playing you, Chuck. She is a CIA agent who is trained to seduce people. That's how she establishes a cover. By any means necessary."

"She hasn't seduced me! If she were supposed to seduce me, how come we're not sleeping together?" Chuck answered before thinking.

"Chuck, withholding the sex can sometimes be more effective. Don't you feel off-balance around her? Sexual tension in the air? That puts her in charge."

Chuck didn't respond.

I have something that will convince you better than my words. With that, Nikki pressed a button on a remote and images of a possum, the moon over a desert, a coffee stained necktie, and a plate of spaghetti appeared. Chuck's eyes went vacant as he absorbed the encoded data.

Major Casey's record with the Air Force. Holding a laser on a building as a bomb homed in. Sniper kills. Countless sniper kills. Casey shooting a man in the head. Casey shooting a woman in the back. Casey shooting a prisoner in the knee. Casey earning his cold school reputation as well as being commended for always following orders.

Chuck saw Sarah's scores in her seduction and manipulation training. They were the highest in the CIA's recent history. He saw her excel in drill after drill of identifying the mark and his weaknesses. She would then act as a siren, rake, coquette, or girl-next door as appropriate. He saw her mastery of her body language.

He then saw Sarah as Emily Parker, infiltrating a compound in Tunisia and planting a bomb. Sarah as Marjorie Anders, becoming the lover of a German businessman with Al-Qaeda ties in order to slit his throat while he slept. Sarah as Zoe Mitchell, becoming the lover of a French politician and his son before cutting the brake lines on their car. Sarah assumed a different appearance for each cover changing her hair, body movements, and voice each time. Sarah as Vanessa Raskin, getting married to a Canadian arms dealer and living as his wife for six months before shooting him and his family one night. Sarah and Bryce under cover as a married couple…

Chuck's absorption ended as he forcibly regained his awareness. He was sweating and breathing heavily at the horrific images he'd seen.

"Chuck, are you ok? Do you understand now that you can't trust them? They have their own agendas that may not always correlate with your best interests. You cannot trust what comes out of their mouths or what you read from their actions. They are both trained killers and will do so without hesitation. They are skilled actors. You can see how dangerous Sarah is. You remember how I approached you at the Buy More today?"

Chuck nodded.

"Well, I had some of the same training Sarah did. I initiated contact with you the way I think she would have. Was I right?"

Chuck nodded again. His eyes focused on the floor.

"It's your call, but I'm just showing you the truth. You have to make up your own mind. Be careful around them."

Chuck was squeezing Nikki's hand tightly so she felt that victory could be claimed for number one.

"What's number two?" Chuck mumbled.

"Number two is scary, but I'm here to help you out. The powers-that-be in D.C. intend to kill you once the Beta Intersect is operational. Probably at Casey's hand."

"What? Kill me? Are you serious? How do you know?"

Nikki pressed another button on the remote and played back the conversation between Casey and General Beckman with the Beta Intersect update. Chuck listened closely and closed his eyes when Beckman mentioned 'closing the LA operation' and 'doing what you do best.' Seeing Casey's history just now confirmed what he did best.

"Chuck, as soon as the Beta Intersect gets to one hundred percent, you will be terminated. There's no way they want a civilian with the secrets in your head walking around."

"Won't they just take me away and lock me up in some bunker somewhere?" Chuck asked hopefully.

"The Beta Intersect contains all the information in you head plus what's been accumulated since the Alpha was destroyed. Why would they need you alive at all? Or your family and friends? They have all seen Agents Casey and Walker I assume. They can all identify them."

Chuck let her words sink in and they made a disturbing amount of sense.

"You better tell me number three before I pass out."

"It's not all bad news tonight. Look at the images and feel the flash but try not to say anything. You can control it a bit if you try. Ready?"

"Sure, flash. It's the one thing I'm still sure of."

Nikki pressed the button and images of Big Ben, a jetliner, and a silhouette of a soldier carrying another appeared.

Chuck felt the information enter his consciousness but he fought to remain silent as Nikki had asked. He thought he succeeded, but wasn't sure until he turned to look at her and saw her smiling at him.

She spoke, "Oceanic flight 815 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile…"

Chuck stood up and gaped at her. "How did you know? Wait, you guys know how to encode the data into images, right? So you know the information before it gets encoded."

"That's true, but what I'm showing you is simpler than that."

Chuck sat back down and continued to look at her. He was truly puzzled. After several seconds, she saw him make the connection.

"You're an intersect too!"

"Technically, I have superior Subliminal Image Recognition ability. Same as you."

"Oh my god, this is great! I have so many more questions to ask you now. How long does the data last? Are there other ways to trigger a flash? What's the maximum amount of data we can store?" Chuck froze. "Wait, who knows about your ability?"

"Only my father. We decided it was in my best interest to keep my ability secret. I'm sure you know what lengths the bad guys will go to in order to possess our ability."

"Believe me, I know." Chuck thought for a second. "So why did you tell me?"

Nikki sensed she had gained Chuck's trust. "Because you have a very unique ability that others will either try to exploit or destroy. Because I only know a little bit about you Chuck, but I can tell you're a nice guy. Because I like you. Because I'm in a position to help you."

"Help me? How?"

"When the Beta Intersect gets to one hundred percent, time will run out and you will be killed along with your friends and family. Agents Casey and Walker will wash their hands and get their next assignment. I've felt alone ever since I learned I could flash and I'm not going to pass up this opportunity. I'm offering you the chance to join me. We could team up and work as consultants for my dad's company. You can name your salary and work when you want. We would protect you. The NSA and CIA aren't the only ones who can do these things. In fact, we do it better."

Chuck was seriously off-balance after all that he had learned, but Nikki's words were logical. He re-evaluated his reality if Nikki was right. He was shocked that he had so badly mis-read his handlers, but after seeing them dupe people who were considerably more sophisticated than he, it wasn't too big of a leap. He had gotten far too comfortable in his current circumstances. He thought that Sarah was his friend and maybe more. He thought that he saw some humanity in Casey after the Ilsa incident. He thought that he could work at the Buy More forever and live a dual-life. He realized that it would all end sooner rather than later.

"You don't have to make a decision now. The Beta won't be up to full speed for another two weeks or so. In the meantime, think of what we talked about. I can offer you a life, a good one. It would be best not to mention any of this to anyone. It's your call though. You can take your chances with them if you want, but it would be a shame if we lost something so rare."

"Ok, I'll think about it. If I have any questions, how can I contact you?"

Nikki handed him a slip of paper with a five digits on it. "Enter this number at the end of my phone number before you hit send. It will open up a singular encrypted channel to my phone only. Nobody else will be able to listen in. It's nice that my company makes the encryption modules, huh?"

Chuck stood up and prepared to leave. "You've given me a lot of things to think about. I'll be in touch."

Nikki stood as well and gave Chuck a hug. "It's been a real pleasure Chuck. I can tell we have so much in common, especially you know what."

"Our little secret" Chuck said as he hugged back.

As they walked to the front door, Chuck asked "What do I tell them we did tonight?"

Nikki held Chuck's hand and looked into his eyes as she explained…

**Outside hillside home of Nikki Johnson, Hollywood Hills, 10:25pm **

Sarah and Casey were still trying to figure out a way to get a laser mike working on the windows when Chuck came out, looking a bit shaken. He hopped into the back seat.

"Well, that was interesting."

Casey and Sarah had switched places. Sarah turned around from the passenger seat and reached back to Chuck's knee. She gave him a little squeeze and was surprised when Chuck jumped a bit. _What had that bitch said to Chuck? How far had she undermined their relationship and this operation?_

"Give us a SitRep, Bartowski." Casey said.

"Apparently, Miller-Johnson is close to completing the Beta Intersect and they want my assistance for the ramp up. They want to make sure that all the Alpha Intersect data, that's now in my head, is correctly integrated into the Beta. They also want to see if the new computer can recognize patterns faster than the old noggin. They said you can verify all this with Beckman."

It was enough to placate Casey who turned around, started the truck and accelerated down the driveway.

Sarah was more adept at reading Chuck's subtleties and saw something wrong. Really wrong. He was normally the most open person she knew but he was hiding something now.

"Is that all Chuck? You spent three hours in her house and that's all you discussed?"

Looking at Chuck in the mirror, Casey snorted and said, "Maybe our boy here got lucky and tapped that ass. I'm sure he noticed how hot Nikki is. One could even say she resembles a dark-haired version of you, Walker. Recent history indicates that Chuckles here prefers brunettes to blonds."

Sarah directed a death glare towards Casey that he laughed off. She looked again at Chuck who glanced back for an instant before turning and looking out the side window. She thought she detected something that she hadn't seen for a long time. She remembered back to the time when she met Chuck's family for that ill-fated first dinner, complete with magic tricks and soufflé flambé.

_Fear and distrust._


	5. Ch 5 One point seven weeks ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 5 – 1.7 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Wienerlicious, Buy More Plaza, Los Angeles, 12:35pm on a weekday**

Sarah stared at the cooling corn dogs on the table and lowered her guard for a second while her thoughts recapped the past week's events. Ever since Chuck's dinner at Nikki's house, he had been increasingly distant and cool towards her. On the surface, he said the right things but emotionally, he had put up a wall between them. Tactically, it meant that she wasn't able to read Chuck's intentions as well as before. Nikki had succeeded in pulling Sarah away from her asset. This created some dangerous uncertainty for her. She used to count on Chuck trusting her and following her lead.

More uncertainty was created as a result of her bosses in D.C. They continued to allow Chuck to spend time with Nikki and her company because it was supposedly proving beneficial for the Beta Intersect. Casey seemed to have reservations, but quietly followed his orders. There were many agendas at play and she was only a foot soldier, but she hadn't survived this long because she lacked powerful instincts. At the moment, they were saying that Nikki Johnson, her corporation, and her bosses were all playing a dangerous game.

"I hope you're on your lunch break because Scooter wouldn't like his employees zoning out like that."

Sarah lurched back to full awareness as Chuck surprised her from behind. _Damn!_

"I knew you were there, I just didn't allow you to know that I knew." Sarah quickly covered.

"I'm sure you could have taken me down with two fingers Miss Walker." Chuck said as he sat across from her and took a bite from his corn dog. "Anything new from the head honchos? We haven't been on a mission for a while. I suppose that's a good thing since I've had plenty of time to help out Nikki. We've really done some good work. Last night, we verified that all the data that's in my head is in the new Beta Intersect. I think the Beta will go live very soon."

"Yeah, you sure have been spending plenty of time with her."

Sarah's tone caused Chuck to look for signs of jealousy. He registered anger and worry instead. Not what he was still hoping to see.

"Hey, everybody else seems fine with it. Beckman and Graham gave their blessings. Casey seems relatively ok with it. What do you have against Nikki?"

"I don't have anything against her."

Chuck stopped eating and sat back with a questioning look.

"Look Sarah, I can tell you don't really like her but I don't think you've given her a chance. She is really passionate about her work and is fun to hang out with too. I think you two actually have some stuff in common."

Sarah couldn't resist. "Ok, maybe I think she's an arrogant, self-righteous, manipulative woman who will do anything to advance her agenda, and that of her daddy's corporation. She sure loves to wave her Washington D.C. get-out-of-jail-free card in everyone's face!"

"Really? What if I told you that she is a brilliant, beautiful, hard-working woman who is trying to do some good in the world? That she has had many chances to do the wrong thing but she always chose the right thing, even if it was the hard decision to make?"

"Then I would say that she's succeeded in manipulating you" Sarah answered without hesitation.

After a moment of shock at Sarah's words, Chuck's temper rose quickly.

"Agent Walker, let's look at the word manipulate. Isn't that what you do for a living?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're a CIA agent. You lie to people and manipulate them in order to complete your mission. Remember how we first met?"

Sarah's anger faded quickly as she saw where this conversation was headed. Her control over her asset was fading just as quickly.

Chuck continued. "How about all those times you touched my hair or straightened my tie? Held my hand and told me not to freak out? Let me believe that there was something real behind our cover? What page of the seduction manual did that come from?"

Sarah's anger was gone and replaced by alarm. Words failed her and she could only stare dumbfounded at Chuck. What had Nikki told him?

Chuck's anger kept rising. "I saw how well you did in your seduction training. I know how you know how to control and use every part of your body. I know what a good agent you are. How you will do anything to get the job done. The Beta Intersect has all the information and thanks to Nikki, so do I. I know you would even marry a target and live as his wife for six months. Six months! Was he that good Sarah? Is that why you decided to sleep with him and all the other targets?"

_He had seen her mission files._

Sarah struggled to compose a coherent thought. She straightened her back and swallowed hard.

"Chuck, you've obviously seen some of my mission reports. But you can't be so naïve to believe that everything a CIA agent does is nice and friendly. We're required to succeed by any means necessary. Don't think for a moment that I enjoyed doing some of those things!"

Her use of the word naïve was a bad decision.

"Of course I'm not that naïve!"

Chuck's eyes looked around wildly and Sarah thought he was having a flash. He eventually looked down at his crossed hands and took a deep breath.

"Maybe I am that naïve. Nothing makes sense anymore."

Chuck seemed to have calmed down a bit and Sarah felt some hope about being able to rescue their relationship.

"Chuck, just tell me what you're feeling."

Chuck's anger returned. "That's just it Sarah! What I'm feeling! I'll tell you what I'm feeling. When you became my handler, you had two choices. You could have slept with me. I'll admit right now, that would have made me fall in love with you. You would have had total control of your asset and I'd probably stay in the car when you told me to. Instead you chose not to sleep with me. You chose to keep me wanting and chasing something I couldn't really have. That's how you chose to control me. Am I that dumb and ugly? I must be such a loser in your eyes. You could marry and live with a hairy, three-hundred-pound, sixty-year-old arms dealer, but a nerd loser like Chuck Bartowski wasn't worth the effort!"

Sarah had no idea how to respond. She tried, and was successful for the most part, to keep any of her raging emotions from escaping.

Responding to her silence, Chuck stood. "See, I knew I was right. You played me from the start. How could I ever have trusted you? I'll be so glad when the Beta goes live and I can be free this crap intersect stuff. You can go on to your next victim and seduce them. I'm sorry I wasn't worthy enough to provide you with any practice."

Chuck turned, heading back to the Buy More. Sarah remained frozen. She couldn't believe how quickly it had all gone south. After several minutes of her mind turning in circles, she pulled out her phone and made an encrypted call to Director Graham.

"We have a serious problem here" she started.

"One of several" Director Graham responded. "I'm concerned about the NSA part of the Beta Intersect project. Too many red flags have popped up recently. What's wrong on your end?"

"I think Chuck has been recruited by the dark side."

**Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 6:50pm on a weekday**

Chuck had been spending every evening with Nikki at the Miller-Johnson computer lab. They had verified through his viewing of subliminal images that all of the Alpha Intersects data was now loaded into the Beta. Chuck had also engaged in many contests with Nikki to determine who was a better human Intersect. Nikki proved quicker in most of the tests which Chuck excused away as due to his flashing inexperience. He did learn some useful skills from her such as how to better mask his flashes from others and how to play with the flash to explore patterns and links that weren't obvious.

"Chuck, have you thought about my offer from last week? As you've seen, we could do some great things together."

"I do see that, more and more. What exactly would we be doing again?"

"Well, part of what we would do is to make ourselves economically viable."

"Of course." He replied slyly.

"What I have been doing is having economic and news data from all over the world encoded into subliminal images which I absorb. Then, our analysts generate some trigger words that can lead to some non-trivial pattern recognition. I can get a lead on a stock that's about to get dumped by its executives because they know something nobody else does. I can connect different CEO's private jet flying patterns and find out who they've been meeting to have secret buyout talks. You get the picture, stuff like that."

"Ok, so we have to earn our keep. Is that what you do all day?"

"Well, my father is working on something big that will definitely keep us busy."

"How's that? I don't have any economics background and all my flashing has been on secret spy stuff."

"See Chuck, you've already figured it out. I knew you had the knack to do this kind of work."

"What are you talking about Nikki?"

"Half of the reason I extended my offer to you to join me is because I could tell from the first time we met, that you're a good and honest person. Those qualities are critical when you can affect so many others. The other half is that my father is planning on entering a new market that will revolutionize this country and make us all safer. He's going into the intelligence business."

"Intelligence BUSINESS? How can intelligence be considered a business?"

"Chuck, in your short time working with the CIA and NSA, think of how inefficiently things are run. For gods sake, two agencies of the same government fight and compete with each other over information and credit! It's this same archaic thinking that pits Agents Casey and Walker against each other on so many issues when they should be working together to fight the real enemies of this country."

Chuck had wondered why Sarah and Casey were willing to shoot each other so long ago on the rooftop, but their personal and agency rivalries had become normal to him.

"Ok, I concede that the government's intelligence services have a lot of problems. How will your new business fix that?"

"We're going to create the finest intelligence collection and analysis system in existence. We already have all the data from the Beta Intersect. I was originally going to be the centerpiece, but now with you, the two of us can be the keys. Two human intersects working together Chuck! Imagine how much we can accomplish!"

"Ok, I again concede that we would make a pretty cool team. But what makes you think the NSA and CIA will just let us take their jobs away from them? And won't they be pissed that you guys just took all the Beta Intersect data?"

"They will be pissed, but won't have a choice. My father has friends in the highest of places. Once we prove to them that we provide superior intelligence, faster, and for less than the tens of billions they are currently spending, they will have to choose us. The public will force them to."

Chuck became alarmed. "Whoa, you're taking us public? People knowing what we can do would make things more dangerous than they are now."

"Chuck, the intelligence providing ability of the corporation will go public, if necessary. It will look like a black box to the outside world since we have a right to protect our proprietary knowledge. The fact that you and I are special will forever remain secret. And, with us, you get a big salary, freedom, and time to spend with your family. With the government, you and your family get dead."

With that, Chuck finally decided to become a Miller-Johnson employee. Sarah, who had once been the only thing that could have changed his mind, was no longer. Learning about who she really was through her actions and not what she had been selling him had opened his eyes. He was angry at her, but more at himself for being such a pawn. All her signals that she really cared for him were just part of her act. He couldn't see through them until now. She was masterful at it though. Underneath all his negative emotions, Chuck still felt that some part of him loved Sarah and that she loved him back. Maybe it was just something he would learn to live with.


	6. Ch 6 One point two weeks ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 6 – 1.2 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Agent Casey's apartment in Echo Park, Los Angeles, 9:18am on a weekend**

The two agents stood at parade rest in front of the small camera. They faced a large display that was currently showing the American flag wearing, arrow carrying eagle of the Department of Defense Seal. A video conference had been scheduled with their superiors in Washingtion to address their escalating concerns. Casey had finally voiced his discomfort about Chuck's closeness to Nikki and the Miller-Johnson Corporation. Sarah had never stopped complaining. It seemed that they had finally done enough to spur the higher ups into action.

Sarah and Casey exchanged their personal opinions in the moments before going online.

"I'm surprised that Chuck finally got the nerve to stand up to you. I'm proud of him for telling you off, even though it jeopardizes our whole mission. I may have to punch him for that." Casey teased.

"Casey, this isn't funny. Nikki has really done some damage and earned Chuck's trust and loyalty, above me. I'm losing him and if I lose him, so do you."

"Hey, don't pin this on me. You're the soft power in this arrangement, I'm the hard power. What's that thing they teach you spy gals to do? Oh yeah, they show you how to use your sexuality to control men. Maybe you should have just slept with him in the beginning…"

Sarah turned red and her arm tensed as she prepared to strike Casey in the face when the display beeped and the faces of General Beckman and Director Graham appeared.

"Did we interrupt something?" Beckman questioned.

"No ma'am." Casey replied.

Beckman continued, "Very well then, let's proceed. Director Graham has informed me about your recent troubles with the Intersect, Agent Walker. You feel that Nikki Johnson has undermined your relationship and jeopardized our operation, correct?"

Sarah answered with controlled anger, "Yes ma'am. She is manipulating Chuck. She has seriously damaged his trust in Casey and me. She showed Chuck my classified mission files, and Casey's as well. She has exposed Chuck to all the data in the Beta Intersect. Who knows what other ideas she's planted in his head. I can't believe that you have allowed this to continue! Ma'am."

Graham spoke next. "Your concerns have been noted Sarah. Agent Casey, the general has shared your concerns with me. You're uncomfortable with a private defense contractor having access to Bartowski. Additionally, you dislike them having unfettered access to the Beta Intersect project. Is that accurate?"

"Yes sir." He looked at Beckman longer then necessary. "I don't care who has friends in high places. These kinds of secrets and information are dangerous in the hands of people outside the intelligence community. "

Beckman and Graham looked each other and all four waited in awkward silence for someone to speak. Beckman finally did.

"You two have just confirmed to us why you were given this mission."

Casey and Sarah turned to each other in puzzlement then looked back at the screen.

Graham picked it up. "Your instincts were correct. Miller-Johnson is a dangerous entity. Raymond Johnson and his daughter pose a clear and present danger to the United States."

He paused to let the agents process the information.

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Sarah finally asked.

Graham explained, "Our recent capture of Fulcrum agents, courtesy of your efforts, yielded some high-value actionable intelligence. Both Tommy and Lizzie gave us information that tied Fulcrum to Miller-Johnson. Miller-Johnson is one of several private companies funding Fulcrum. They are also washing the backgrounds of Fulcrum agents by providing them with histories and covers. Raymond Johnson and his company have tentacles around the highest levels of our government so we have to tread very lightly. They are also the primary contractor for the Beta Intersect, which is one this countries highest priorities. We have decided to collect evidence and allow them to complete the Beta Intersect before making our move. With the leverage we have, Raymond Johnson and his company will be in our pocket. I'm sure that will earn us a huge discount on all future contracts and access to any new technologies they have."

Casey still looked puzzled. "That all makes sense, but how does Chuck figure into all this?"

Beckman replied, "Bartowski was never supposed to be a factor in this but we got lucky. We've been allowing Miller-Johnson to tap the Beta Intersect data feed, but they were receiving tainted information. We also knew they had an ECHELON tap which is why we switched you to the new encryption standard. The data they received was accurate enough to test protocols and algorithms so they could complete the project, but not accurate enough for an artificial intelligence to recognize intersect patterns. Imagine our surprise when Miller-Johnson's profits increased thirty-eight percent in recent months. They tried to hide the profits in their offshore shell companies but we have our own ways of knowing. Despite Bartowski's shortcomings, we do acknowledge that he has thus far proved superior to machine intelligence in intersect performance."

"But Chuck has only been working with them for a week or two. Not months."

Graham took over. "That's exactly right. Our partially operational Beta Intersect made the connection. Miller-Johnson was the contractor on several projects that preceded the Intersect. Raymond put the research to his own use and came to the same conclusions we did regarding subliminal imagery and its applications. Even so, there's no way all the connections should have been made that led to the discovery of Bartowski and our operation unless…"

"Unless he has his own Intersect!" Sarah interrupted.

Casey stared at Sarah. "Wait, you said the data wasn't accurate enough to lead to intersect pattern recognition. Even if he had the hardware…" The light went off in Casey's head.

"Nikki Johnson!" Sarah and Casey said together.

Graham nodded, "The Beta Intersect has identified Nikki Johnson as being a probable Human Intersect, with ninety percent confidence."

"No wonder Chuck bonded with her so fast! They really do share something nobody else could understand. She's still manipulating him against all our interests though. What's the plan? When do we arrest her?" Sarah excitedly said.

"And what's this about the operational Beta Intersect?" Casey asked.

"We will not move on them early and expose our hand. We have to wait until they complete their work and the Beta goes live. The Beta is now ninety percent operational. That's enough to provide limited intelligence for operations."

Beckman paused and shared a look with Graham before chiming in. "John, the director and I have discussed your standing order regarding the intersect and have modified it."

Those words chilled Sarah as she suspected what the standing order was. She had always expected the NSA and Casey to want that solution. She knew the CIA had other plans for Chuck but she had put off dealing with it because she thought there was still time.

"Director Graham always wanted to keep Bartowski around and study him. A Human Intersect is still superior to our artificial version and we could learn a great deal from one. When we move against Miller-Johnson, you are to execute your standing order to terminate Bartowski. You may clean up his friends and family as you deem necessary. You will capture Nikki Johnson alive and healthy. She apparently has been an Intersect for several years and her knowledge and skills should prove far more useful than Bartowski's. She will also act as strong leverage against her father. Bartowski's recent shift of loyalty has proven how dangerous he can be to all of us. I hope that his termination won't cause either of you much difficulty. We understand how you can grow attached to an asset over time. But remember your asset and your cover lives are just that, covers. They aren't who you really are." Beckman said matter-of-factly.

Graham concluded, "You have your orders. Maintain a low profile for now, but prepare. Do not disclose any of this information to Bartowski. We can't trust him at this point."

The screen returned to the Department of Defense Seal. Both agents stared at it as they processed.

"You were always supposed to kill Chuck, weren't you?" Sarah asked while she continued to look at the screen. Her fists clenched and unclenched several times.

Casey didn't respond for a long while. "Orders are orders. The general is right, we have to always remember who we really are. Our crappy jobs, Chuck's crappy friends, even Chuck, it's all just a mission." Casey sounded unconvinced at his own words as he too looked at the screen. "Are you going to get in my way when the time comes?"

Sarah turned to Casey and stared at him until he returned the favor. "So how are you planning to do it? Knife? Bullet? Bare hands? I hope you do it with your bare hands so you will always remember that your ugly face is the last thing he ever saw."

Casey held her stare as many different emotions crossed his face. After what seemed like minutes, he finally smirked. "Well, this is your last chance Walker. You have about a week to get Chuck in the sack. I don't think that's going to be enough time with Nikki as your competition."

Sarah slapped Casey. Hard.

**Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson, Los Angeles, 4:32pm on a weekend**

Raymond Johnson watched unnoticed as Nikki and Chuck worked together. After getting over his initial shock that the CIA and NSA were running their own human intersect here in LA, he formulated a plan to recruit Chuck. If the government retained possession of Chuck, his plan to provide truly unique intelligence would be thwarted. With two human intersects, he would be unstoppable.

He and his daughter truly believed that the country would be better off when Miller-Johnson moved into the intelligence space. Capitalism always provided superior solutions. He was confident that keeping some of the dirty, necessary details of his plan from his daughter was the right thing to do.

Nikki and Chuck shared a laugh and began hitting each other's arms. Raymond was happy that his daughter had finally found someone who could understand her special gift.  
She was much more relaxed of late and he even noticed a hint of attraction towards Chuck. He really did seem like a nice, honest guy who somehow became one of the world's most sought after intelligence assets. If her attraction led to a relationship in the future, he wouldn't resist. Chuck seemed to get along with her just fine, but didn't return the attraction. Raymond had seen Agent Walker's file and knew she still held some of Chuck's attention. A diminishing amount.

"Dad, I didn't know you were here today."

Raymond walked up to the pair. "Just doing paperwork. Nice to see you Chuck. How are you two doing today?"

"Just fine Mr. Johnson. Your daughter is brilliant."

"Please call me Ray. She's also very beautiful."

Nikki gave her father an abashed look as she blushed.

"It would be hard not to notice that sir. I mean Mr. JohnRay. Ray."

Raymond smiled. "Well, please continue what you were doing. It's an honor to have you joining the family, Chuck. You've made the right decision. We'll take care of you and your family."

"Thanks, I guess it wasn't too hard to choose between you guys and a dirt nap."

Raymond shook Chuck's hand and squeezed his daughter's shoulders. His phone rang as he was walking back to his office. He answered with a curt greeting and listened to a status report before he responded.

"Yes, I want all available contractors at HQ. This will be a critical time and we don't want the feds, police, or anyone else interfering."

Chuck's phone rang for the fourth time that day. For the fourth time, Sarah's picture appeared as picture ID. Chuck continued to transfer the call to voicemail, one of which Sarah hadn't left yet.

"Sarah's still trying to reach you?" Nikki asked sincerely.

"Yeah. I just don't feel like talking to her right now."

"Chuck, I know you're mad at her for a lot of things, but you have to cut her some slack. She really was just doing her job." Nikki said thoughtfully.

"I know that, but that's the difference between her and me. She can do all those things without any emotion. I don't know how to do any of this stuff without feelings. I think the only time she ever got attached to someone was with Bryce, my old best friend-slash-nemesis. That's something I really hate thinking about."

"Well Chuck, if not for Bryce and the intersect, we never would have met." She smiled, put her arm around Chuck and gave him a reassuring shake.

Chuck looked back into her eyes and smiled widely. "I guess you're right. I'm really glad we met."

She moved quickly and pressed her lips to his. Chuck's first thought was disbelief that beautiful women were now in the habit of initiating kisses with him. He returned the kiss as each gently placed their hands on each other's faces and necks. After about ten seconds, the warm, open, slightly tentative kiss ended. Both grinning stupidly, they backed away a few inches.

Nikki spoke first. "You know, I think we've done enough work for today. Let's get out of here."

"I agree most wholeheartedly." Chuck replied as she grabbed his hand and led them out.

He sent a text message to Sarah that he was with Nikki and was OK.

**Ellie Bartowski's apartment in Echo Park, Los Angeles, 11:48pm on a weekend**

Chuck returned home to a darkened apartment. He saw Casey's apartment was lighted on his way in and wondered how his future assassin was planning to kill him. Would Sarah stand idly by while Casey did his job? Would she help? He pushed the disturbing thought away and instead focused on his alternative. The one that would allow him and his family to live.

The arrival of Nikki and her offer all seemed too good to be true. At the moment of his greatest need, she had shown up with all the answers. He had wondered whether the data she had shown him about Casey, Sarah, and the whole dirty enterprise was doctored. He knew that Casey was ruthless, and that Sarah had to do some distasteful things as an agent, but actually seeing them in his mind was something he was unprepared for.

Unfortunately, his confrontation with Sarah seemed to prove the validity Nikki's data. He initially distrusted Nikki and her motives but she seemed to be the one to trust now instead of Sarah. Nikki had laid everything out from the beginning and always told him that he was free to make a decision. Sarah didn't deny any of the accusations he threw at her and didn't give him much of a response at all. Chuck knew that Sarah had difficulty expressing her feelings, but if what he said to her didn't elicit a response, he didn't know what could. He knew the 'job' was always her way of distancing herself from some kind of relationship, but seeing her previous jobs blew that excuse away. Despite everything, he still believed that she felt something more towards him than she let on. Disappointingly, what Sarah felt wasn't strong enough to compel her to act.

"Chuck, is that you?"

"Yeah, sis, it's me. You and Awesome still up?"

"Yeah, just reading wedding magazines. I can tell he's having such a great time!"

"I'm sure any guy would. Well, good night. It's been a busy day and I'm going to get going."

Ellie grabbed Chuck's arm as he walked past, stopping him.

"Did you and Sarah have a fight? You look a little…conflicted."

Chuck struggled to come up with a way to get his sister's advice with out giving her the particulars.

"Ellie, I found out some things about Sarah's past that…things that I really hate thinking about. I get the feeling that she's been lying to me about some things and that makes me doubt that…that our relationship is even real."

Ellie looked back with disbelief. "What? Chuck, Sarah is a wonderful person. Devon, me, even Morgan all think she's totally into you. We've noticed how she looks at you when she thinks nobody is watching at her. She feels something real and deep for you."

"But what if it's like a movie and…what if she just knows how to look at someone to make them think she's interested? Actors in movies look like they're in love and we believe them. They're just pretending."

Ellie looked back with even more disbelief. "Actors? Movies? What are you talking about? Sarah is a real person Chuck. How and why would she be faking her interest in you?"

"Never mind, just the late-night ramblings of a tired person. Good night Ellie."

Ellie stood in place as Chuck went to his room. Chuck really was rambling tonight.

Chuck closed the door to his room. He realized that Ellie couldn't help him in his current situation. He had to make the call himself. All their lives depended on making the right one.


	7. Ch 7 Zero point three weeks ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 7 – 0.3 weeks ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**Secret warehouse near Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson, Los Angeles, 3:13pm on a weekday**

What looked like a rundown warehouse in a deserted industrial area from the outside was anything but on the inside. State-of-the-art surveillance created an electronic perimeter three hundred yards around the warehouse. Any unidentified person or vehicle breaching that perimeter would be quickly met by several black Suburbans carrying black clothed security agents with assault rifles.

Inside the expansive warehouse, dozens of NSA and CIA agents were planning, organizing, and rehearsing their assault of Raymond Johnson and his corporation. Someone with a sense of humor had christened the operation Blackbriar. Sarah had actually seen that movie with Chuck and felt that he would appreciate it. If he were on their side.

Casey had just silently rehearsed the breaching of Miller-Johnson's lobby. The agents he led all followed his hand signals flawlessly and the team acted as a single organism. Casey was confident that that Operation Blackbriar would be a success.

He and Sarah both leaned over blueprints of the Miller-Johnson HQ. "Walker, are all you CIA guys clear on the plan? The NSA will hack into security, then disable the power. After establishing a perimeter outside, we will assault the lobby from two points. With the NSA securing the lobby, I'll get elevator access and head up to big Ray's office. By then, you and the CIA should have assaulted and secured the rooftop, and dropped down from above. We'll have him pinched."

"Yeah, we're all clear on the plan. Those bastards designed the building so we don't have any other entry choices. It's not going to be easy you know, they'll probably have a lot of well trained contractors and maybe even Fulcrum to defend the building."

"I know. That's why we're going in so heavy. They are a clear and present danger so we are authorized to get in by any means necessary."

"What about Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"What about him? If he's there, he'll probably be down in the computer lab with his new girlfriend. We head down there after we secure the CEO. If he's not there, we go find him afterwards."

"You really don't have a problem with your orders for Chuck?"

Casey regarded Sarah warily. He always suspected that she felt more for Chuck than she was supposed to but could never gauge how much that was. Her covert skills were exemplary and she had always put her duty first, so it was never a serious hindrance.

"Honestly, I do have a problem with the orders. Contrary to what you think, I happen to think Chuck is a decent guy who shouldn't have gotten mixed up in our business. Bryce was right when he said Chuck doesn't have the heart for it. That being said, he's in the middle of it now. What am I supposed to do, disobey my orders?"

Sarah knew that Casey had developed a kind of soft spot for Chuck. For days, she had been thinking about options where Chuck could live.

"What if Nikki didn't survive the assault? Then we couldn't very well kill Chuck, the only remaining intersect."

Casey gave Sarah's idea some thought, working out all the ramifications. "Very diabolical Walker. Not bad. I could live with that. Don't you think Beckman and Graham will see right through it though?"

"They may not. If they do, who cares? The facts on the ground would be that Chuck is the only surviving Human Intersect."

"Ok, you think of a way to make it happen. I assume you'll want the honor of doing the deed. I'll back you up, whatever happens."

"You're a good man John Casey. I take back what I said the other day. Your face is only kind of ugly, not totally ugly."

Casey let out a roar causing all the other agents to stop and turn. "Same thing about your face."

Sarah joined her partner in laughter.

**Santa Monica Beach, Santa Monica, 6:21pm on a weekday**

Sarah spotted Chuck instantly, sitting on the sand alone. She was surprised that he was able to break away from his new soul mate. She begrudgingly admitted to herself that Nikki was excellent CIA agent material. If only they had been able to recruit her before her father had.

She approached Chuck from behind and sat to his left. He didn't say a word or do anything to acknowledge her arrival. He had arranged this meeting with her and she suspected that he was going to try and get her to confess feelings for him again. With the Beta Intersect going live soon, all their lives were about to crash together in some form. Sarah sat silently and waited.

"It has agreeable symmetry, don't you think?"

"What does Chuck?"

"You, me, the beach. Except that we're here during the sunset this time."

Sarah agreed about the symmetry, but remained silent.

"You're doing it again." Chuck said.

"What?"

"Keeping everything inside. Not saying what you feel."

"Chuck, I told you that I'm not good with relationships. I'm not good with talking about my feelings. It's a really long story about why I'm that way, but it's a story I can't tell you. You know that."

"Sarah, I understand the whole asset-handler relationship thing. I respect that. But don't tell me that there haven't been times you treated me as more than an asset. And I don't mean in the whole seduction-for-control way. I'm sorry for attacking you about that by the way. I was out of line."

Sarah was taken aback by Chuck's apology. Her personal issues and training again told her to just look at him, smile, and stay silent, but she willed herself to speak.

"Thank you Chuck. I accept your apology. You didn't give me a chance to explain myself that day. And I wasn't sure you'd believe me either, but I have to tell you why I haven't slept with you."

Chuck's eyes widened in anticipation.

"You're right, as an agent, one of my options was to get intimate with you. In hindsight, that probably would have led you to fall for me and probably would have made you more likely to listen to me. But I never wanted to manipulate you in that way Chuck. I could never have lived with myself if I did."

Chuck looked back questioningly and his ire started to rise. Had she just said she couldn't live with herself if she had slept with him?

"No wait, Chuck, you're misunderstanding." Sarah took a deep breath and swallowed twice. She turned her body towards him and reached over to hold his hands, much as they had on the rooftop with Long Shore watching. Chuck relaxed. Her touch was still magical.

"The reason I couldn't have lived with myself if we slept together is because it would have been part of the job. I would have been sleeping with you as a handler controlling her asset. I want us to be intimate because…well, because we both want it for the same reasons. For real reasons."

Chuck looked like he was freaking out. He replayed Sarah's words in his mind and verified to himself that he heard correctly. She didn't want to get intimate under false pretenses. Check. She didn't want to get intimate to advance her control over him. Check. She wants…WANTS!...them to be intimate for reasons they both share. Real reasons. CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!

Sarah's smile went to its maximum as Chuck's eyebrows wiggled while he processed.

"Let me get this straight. You feel for me the same way I feel for you? You want us to have a real relationship outside of the mission?

"Yes and yes, Chuck."

"Oh my god, Sarah! You can't imagine how much….how badly…I've…This is real, right? Isn't this on page sixty of the seduction manual?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed. Chuck couldn't hold the tease in for long and a huge smile brightened up his face.

"Chuck! Are you the one playing me now?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

They continued to hold and massage each other's hands while laughing.

When the laughter ceased, Sarah moved her left hand to Chuck's shoulder, and her right hand to cup his face. She rose to a kneeling position to match his height and moved her face towards his. Chuck had the most open and loving look she had ever seen from him. Their lips met.

What started out sweet and gentle, quickly morphed into a more passionate coupling.

Their lips parted allowing their tongues to dance. Chuck leaned forward pushing Sarah down onto her back. Two pairs of hands explored hair, faces, necks, backs, waists and hips. The kiss broke several times but reconnected as soon as fresh breaths were taken.

The kiss finally ended for good. Chuck was lying on top with one arm around Sarah's back and the other cupping her head from behind. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. She was flushed and he could feel the heat rising from her.

"Chuck, do you think they put that anywhere in the seduction manual?" she asked playfully.

"I guess not. Wow."

"Yeah, that was definitely a wow." She said.

"So what happens now?"

"What happens now is that we have to keep going on with our duties. I have to be your handler, you have to be my asset. We have to keep Casey, the NSA, and the CIA from knowing that our thing-under-the-undercover-thing is real. It should be easier now that you know where I really stand."

"Sure Sarah, I can keep doing this." Chuck kissed her quickly. "And this." Chuck kissed her again. "And this."

"Seriously Chuck, nobody can know about our real feelings for each other."

"Ok, I'll be serious. I won't tell a soul."

Chuck's eyes suddenly darkened. He sat up.

"What is it, Chuck?" Sarah said, sitting up.

"It's Nikki."

Sarah's worst imaginings flooded her mind. "Have you been intimate with her?"

"No, nothing like that."

Sarah hid her relief. "What is it then?"

"She offered me a job with Miller-Johnson. I accepted. She's not a bad person you know. She's just a little different from most people."

"I know, Chuck. She's a Human Intersect, like you."

"What? You know about that? How?"

"Let's just say the NSA and CIA aren't as dumb as they seem at times. We figured out that Raymond Johnson had to have an Intersect after his companies profits increased once they started getting the Beta Intersect data. Our analysts deduced that Nikki was likely a Human Intersect."

Chuck sat back pensively. "Sarah, you've always protected me, right? Will you always protect me?"

"Of course Chuck. I would never let anything happen to you." Sarah said convincingly.

"Then were you planning on protecting me from Casey? I know about his orders to kill me when the Beta goes live."

Sarah was shocked at how much Chuck really did know. Without hesitation, she coolly replied, "Yes I am, Chuck. I have a plan that will keep Casey from harming you, and will keep you free here in LA, living your life. No secret bunker."

"I knew you would always be there for me. I'm so sorry I ever doubted you."

"Water under the bridge, Chuck."

"You have to help protect Nikki's secret too. If the wrong people got a hold of her…"

"Chuck, both you and Nikki are national intelligence treasures. I'm sure I could get the CIA to protect the two of you."

"Thank you, Sarah. That's such a relief to hear. I was so worried that the government would come after Nikki and me after the Beta was working."

"Chuck, I heard directly from Director Graham's mouth, that human Intersect abilities are still superior to an artificial intelligence Intersect. There's no way they want to lose your special skills."

"And when artificial intelligence becomes superior to human Intersect abilities?"

"That something to worry about in the future. And I'll be by your side when we get there. I promise."

Chuck and Sarah smiled warmly at each other.

Chuck's phone beeped as a text message broke their moment. It was Ellie.

"Oh crap, I forgot Ellie is taking me out for dinner tonight. She thinks I'm depressed because you and I were going through a rough patch. I'll be glad to tell her that's over."

Chuck stood and pulled Sarah up.

"Tell her hello from me."

"I will. How about one for the road?"

Her eyes locked onto his, Sarah slowly approached Chuck until she was stepping on his feet and their bodies were in contact from toe to chest. She tilted her head forward and gave Chuck the most passionate kiss she knew how to give. He lost himself until she stepped back. He instantly felt colder being away from her body.

"How was that, Chuckles?" she coyly asked.

"That was one I'll be thinking about tonight in bed. Take care Sarah, I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"Only in your dreams, mister."

Chuck laughed as he walked to the parking lot. Sarah noticed a new spring to his step.

Sarah's smile turned upside down as she retrieved her phone and placed a call to Casey.

"We need to talk about the plan."


	8. Ch 8 Sixty two minutes ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 8 – 62 minutes ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Secret warehouse near Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson, Los Angeles, 1:28am on a weekday**

Casey and Sarah completed another set of drills designed to give them and their agents clear visualizations and muscle memory which would help them in the upcoming fight. The entire group was composed of veterans with wide-ranging experience so their trust and confidence levels were high. 'Claudia' was designated go-code. All signs indicated that they would be seeing action in about forty eight hours.

The NSA agent monitoring communications received an incoming videoconference request with the highest priority.

"Agent Walker, Agent Casey, priority videoconference!" he yelled out.

Sarah and Casey turned over their teams to their next-most-senior agents and jogged over to the hastily erected secure communications room.

"It's Director Graham and General Beckman on a secure connection. Jackson, Grady, you're outside with me."

The three agents quickly walked out and secured the door. Casey pushed a button and the conference began.

General Beckman immediately started. "Agents, we've just received some new intelligence. We picked up some chatter that led the Beta Intersect to make a connection between Miller-Johnson and some hardware he managed to acquire under the radar. Raymond Johnson appears to have built a six-hundred teraflop class supercomputer, which is equivalent to the Beta Intersect. We don't know its location yet. We now suspect that he has been building a mirror of the Beta Intersect and loading it with our tainted data feed. With his access to one or both of the Human Intersects, he may have been able to upgrade the incomplete, tainted data we've been sending to a usable form. Our Beta is now at ninety five percent status and we've decided not to take the chance on waiting."

Director Graham spoke next. "We've also received some new intelligence from multiple, but unverified sources, that Raymond Johnson is preparing some kind of strike against the intelligence community within forty eight hours. He may be employing Fulcrum to do so. We think he may be trying to cripple our capabilities leaving him with the only viable Intersect ability. We've gone to high alert globally. The Beta Intersect is under the guard of three army platoons. We're going to do a pre-emptive decapitation strike against Johnson and his corporation. Surveillance indicates that Raymond Johnson, his daughter, and Bartowski are all in the building. Your orders are to stop Raymond and Nikki Johnson from proceeding with their strike by any means necessary. You are to bring Nikki Johnson back alive. Terminate Bartowski. Your support assets have been ordered to rendezvous at your staging point. Be safe agents, and good hunting. Claudia. I repeat, Claudia.

As soon as the screen went black, Casey and Sarah ran out to the warehouse yelling "Claudia! We have a go! Claudia!"

All the agents sprang to action and began gearing up. The warehouse would be practically empty within ten minutes. Only a few cleanup crews would remain to turn the warehouse back into a vacant, decrepit space.

Operation Blackbriar called for Sarah and the CIA teams to mount an airborne assault on the Miller-Johnson HQ from the roof. Six MH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the Air Force Special Operations Command were en route to the staging location outside the warehouse to pick up their human cargo. Specializing in deep penetration infiltration, exfiltration, resupply, and pararescue, each helicopter would carry eight agents in addition to its four-man crew. Three helicopters would orbit the roof providing reconnaissance and cover, while one deposited its cargo via fast rope. In all, thirty two agents would break into the building from above and work their way down. The four empty aircraft would then provide spotting and fire support where needed. Two of the helicopters with sixteen more agents would be held in reserve and provide dedicated air support for the ground teams. The miniguns mounted in the helicopter doors would overwhelm any resistance.

The NSA ground attack would arrive in five Suburbans and four vans, carrying a total of forty seven agents. Three vans carrying twenty four more would provide backup. Just prior to insertion, the power lines to the building would be cut and all non-friendly wireless communication would be jammed. Fiber-optic lines would be spared as they hoped to capture the GDN intact to find data on Fulcrum. The diesel backup generators were in a secure location in the core of the building so they couldn't be controlled but it was hoped the main power interruption would create an adequate distraction. Two teams were already moving to nearby rooftops and would blanket the Miller-Johnson building with microwaves from their phased-array antennas. Sarah and Casey had designated Chuck's phone to be the lone adversary device exempt from the jamming. Once they entered and secured the lobby, they would send teams up to meet the CIA in the CEO's office, and down to the basement to secure the Global Data Node. In the best case simulation, the takedown took twelve minutes and cost no casualties. In the worst case, sixty eight minutes with fifty percent casualties. LAPD and other law enforcement were all told to stay outside a sixteen square block perimeter in the interests of national security.

Sarah and Casey saw to various last second details before rushing over to the armory to gear up. They both chose H&K 416 carbines with reflex sights, and Mark 23 .45 caliber pistols. They were both agents' favorite close quarter battle weapons. Over their black utility clothing, their body armor and vests were already pre-packed with spare magazines, fragmentation, smoke, and flash grenades, cell phone, bricks of C4, detonators, and a knife (three for Sarah). Next came their radio headgear with a single earpiece and boom mic. Fire-resistant gloves and clear eye protection were next followed by a small backpack containing more magazines and C4, detonators, wireless trigger, water, energy bars, a first-aid-kit, flexi-cuffs, chemical light sticks, a flashlight, tape, rope, climbing equipment, flares, a lighter, and night-vision goggles.

"We're going earlier than expected. You ready to rock Walker? Is your plan going to work? Did you get Chuck to trust you again?"

"I think he does. I haven't worked out all the details since we're going early, but I say we go with it and improvise if we have to. We know what the overall goal is. I'm good to go."

Casey smiled. "I don't even want to know how you got Chuck back. I'll see you in Ray's office, Sarah. Don't get dead."

Sarah smiled back. "You too John. Make every shot count."

With a fist pound, they ran to their vehicles.

**  
CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 1:53am on a weekday**

Chuck and Nikki had put in several hours running Intersect simulations down in the basement. Nikki noticed that Chuck was running out of steam so she suggested they take a break in her father's office and enjoy the view. They stood in comfortable silence at the window, sipping coffee.

Chuck stated, "Only a few more days of this."

"Yeah. Our time is almost up."

"Good, it's getting harder and harder to keep this up."

Silence.

"So, were you and her able to patch things up?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah. I think we both understand each other now."

Silence.

"Chuck, I've said this before, but I'm really glad we met."

"Me too."

"I never thought my father could be involved in such things."

Chuck held Nikki's hand as her eyes welled up.

"To think he helped support Fulcrum makes me sick. Fundamentally, I still believe in his philosophy that capitalism can provide more efficient solutions to our government's problems. But after you showed me the truth about Fulcrum, I can't support the means he pursues. It's just so hard to adjust to a reality that I've been blind to my whole life. And he's still my father."

Chuck looked at her with understanding and compassion. "You made the right decision. Coming in with me to Sarah is the best choice. You can help us get to Fulcrum and take them down. I can personally attest to their ruthlessness. Maybe once we get them, we can even track down all the other corporations supporting them."

"There's a whole lot riding on your trust of Sarah, Chuck. I don't think she likes me very much. She said she would protect you and me, right?"

Chuck laughed. "For the thousandth time, yeah, she did! Don't worry about it. I happen to know the CIA director himself, and he even said that a human Intersect is still superior to the computerized Intersect."

"Ok, ok! It's just a really big deal!"

Nikki turned and hugged Chuck just as the building went dark. Emergency lights went on providing minimal visibility before the buildings backup generators stared.

Chuck noticed that the rest of LA in his view still had lights. "What the hell…"

Nikki knew instantly. "Damn, they moved too fast! They're coming too early!"

Chuck began to freak out. "What?! What do we do now? You only sent the decoy data two hours ago! Texts, emails, and one call, right?"

"Yeah, just like we planned. Info that would make them think dad and Fulcrum were going to attack the intelligence community in forty eight hours, when the Beta gets to one hundred percent. Shit, they're moving on us early. They're not taking any chances."

Chuck suddenly heard the beating of helicopter blades above even though he didn't see anything flying outside the window.

Raymond and three large men carrying FN P90 personal defense weapons burst into the office. He was yelling into his phone. "Hello? Hello? Damn, they're jamming us. They're hitting us right now." He turned to the largest man. "Ryan, go mobilize all our security forces and make sure our surveillance systems are coordinated. Lock down all the elevators and stairwells. See what exit options I have." Then to no one in particular, "I always suspected that our corrupt government would try and stop my work to save their make-work jobs and bloated budgets!"

Ryan, the largest man, ran to the nearest computer to send instant messages to his teams. If radios and wireless didn't work, they were trained to use the nearest desktop to send messages over the building's wired intranet. Outside jamming was a consideration during the buildings construction. A fine metal mesh was embedded in the building's glass skin which wasn't in any blueprint and acted as a Faraday cage. The building's security computer simply had to analyze the wavelength of the outside EM signal, then apply the correct current to adjust the mesh to block the offending signal. The backup generators had already kicked in and power to critical systems was coming back on. The GDN in the basement, all the desktop workstations, and the intranet had backup power supplies and never saw any power interruption. The NSA attempt to hack into security had only penetrated the networks outermost firewall. Things had already deviated from the assault team's best case scenario.

Chuck heard something that sounded like a distant zipper and saw sparks falling down outside the window.

Ryan received a text from security. "Forty seconds until jamming countermeasures take effect."

Chuck's phone rang. All eyes in the room turned on Chuck, followed by the P90s.

"I think that's just a reminder alarm…to take my vitamins. Let me check…"

Raymond snatched the iPhone from Chuck's pocket and looked at Morgan's picture ID. "Chuck, it's Morgan calling. His timing is impeccable, don't you think?"

The ringing finally stopped. Chuck was beyond freaking out.

"Ray, it's all a simple misunderstanding. I can explain." Chuck was trying to look calm and collected, but failed miserably.

"Chuck, I thought you had joined our family. I thought you were one of us. Your betrayal is most disappointing."

"C'mon, Ray! Kimosabe! I am one of you! I helped you and Nikki get the Beta up and running! I took the job offer!"

He shook his head. "Chuck, it could have been so different. If you had just stuck with the gameplan. Well, you're still going to prove useful."

"I can be useful! Very useful! What do you want me to do?"

"You can act as a hostage and collateral so that Nikki and I can escape."

Nikki worriedly looked at her father. "Dad? You can't do that to Chuck!"

"You still don't see it? You must have gotten more of your mother than I thought. HE is one of THEM. YOU and I need to get out of here to fight another day. Our life's work is against THEM. HE isn't one of US. Remember what we're trying to accomplish here. We're trying to take this country into the future. The citizens deserve the best, most efficient intelligence they can get."

Chuck looked at Nikki hoping that she wouldn't go back to her father's side. He knew in his heart that she was a good person, that he was right in trusting her. _Please, please, please…_

Nikki straightened her back. "I can't go with you. I'm staying with Chuck."

_Thank you, thank you, thank you…_

"Dad, I assume you initiated the timer on the bomb?"

_Bomb? Bomb! What? No, no, no…_

Raymond smirked. "Of course. You see Chuck, after Larkin destroyed the Alpha Intersect, the NSA and CIA decided that a self-destruct mechanism might be useful, to prevent the intelligence from getting into the wrong hands, or minds as it were. They have no idea I can trigger it from here. In about half an hour, a little ECHELON backdoor port that I have will open and accept a signal to detonate the E-bomb and destroy the Beta Intersect. Nikki, you're brilliant as usual. You stay with Chuck and keep a low profile. You're an unwitting victim of the government's illegal attack on me and the company. Don't talk or resist. They won't hurt you. Just make sure the E-bomb gets triggered. After the Beta is destroyed, I'll have all the leverage I need to take over. They have actually brought on their own end! When the public hears about the government's blatant disregard of our rights and your illegal arrest, we'll be stronger than ever."

"Yes dad."

Chuck looked on in horror as Raymond embraced his daughter. He allowed himself a tiny moment of pride as he kept himself from fainting.

"I'm so sorry I mentioned your mother. I had no right. I love you."

"Me too, dad."

Ryan interrupted. "Sir, we need to get you out of here."

Raymond stepped back from Nikki and gave her a wan smile. "Of course. Abrams?"

The second-largest of the armed men responded. "Yes sir!"

"Take Bartowski and my daughter to the waiting room. Make sure he doesn't try anything."

With a curt nod, Abrams motioned for Chuck and Nikki to leave the office and wait outside.

Once he was alone with Ryan and the third guard, Raymond ran behind his desk to his computer just as the outside jamming was neutralized and their radios and cell phones became operational. Everyone's phone began ringing and frenzied voices were heard on the guard's radios. The helicopters sounded very close.

"Ryan, Bartowski doesn't leave this building alive. Make it look like he got caught in the crossfire. Just make sure that Nikki doesn't see."


	9. Ch 9 Thirty four minutes ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 9 – 34 minutes ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Pave Hawk helicopter, above Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 1:56am on a weekday**

Sarah opened her eyes after a few seconds spent rehearsing the roof assault in her mind. Sitting across from her, bathed in the red combat lighting was her second-in-command, Agent Carmen Vazquez.

"How many times have you fast roped onto a roof?"

Agent Vazquez smiled. "This will be my third. You?"

Sarah smiled back. "This one will make six for me. This is the tallest building though." The Miller-Johnson building stood seven hundred fifteen feet high.

"Me too. Make sure you don't drop off the edge. You're not wearing a flying squirrel suit this time."

All the agents in the helicopter snickered.

"Two minutes!"

The snickering halted as the one of the helicopter crew pointed to his watch then held up two fingers. The doors slid open letting the cold morning air rush in. All the agents mounted their night-vision goggles, performed a comm test, and did a final check of their gear. Their bird was designated X-Ray Two, and would be the second group to drop it's agents on the roof.

The six helicopters approached the building at an altitude of four thousand feet, above a layer of fog that would mask the sound of the rotor blades. The two reserve aircraft peeled off first to support the NSA ground attack. They covered the last mile to the building a few feet off the street. The remaining four aircraft descended when they were as close as possible. Any enemy resistance would be fired upon by the miniguns mounted on each side of the helicopter. The rules of engagement for this operation were very liberal.

Sarah checked her watch. She thumbed her mic and confirmed that Casey and the NSA were in position. The Miller-Johnson building loomed below them. Any second now.

The building went dark as the power was cut.

The pilots immediately went into their pattern. No threats had been spotted so X-Ray One went to a hover. Two thick ropes were thrown down and agents began sliding down. The first eight agents were down in fifteen seconds and fanned out to cover the next group. X-Ray One entered the orbit as X-ray Two flared to a hover. Sarah and Agent Vazquez grabbed onto their ropes when it looked like the sun had exploded below them. The backup generators came online and several spotlights were directed up at the hovering and orbiting helicopters. Miler-Johnson's security knew that any attack on the roof at night would involve people wearing night-vision goggles.

Sarah's display flared and she was momentarily blinded. She ripped her goggles off and tried to focus. The helicopter bucked as the pilot was similarly affected and she nearly lost her grip on the rope. Someone behind her yelled "Go!" so she readjusted her hold and slid down. She hoped they were still hovering over the roof.

With relief, her feet hit the roof and she immediately ran to the nearest corner of the flat helipad surface. She jumped over the edge and onto the next level a few feet below with her rifle at the ready. She heard a deafening sound that was halfway between a zipper and a buzzsaw as the miniguns shot out the spotlights. The roof quickly went dark and she regretted losing her goggles. She blinked her eyes and the stars slowly began fading. She didn't see any threats. She ran to join three others at a metal door that was to be their entry. One of the building's stairwells should be inside. Below the elevator and HVAC equipment, the CEO's office waited.

A hole was drilled in the bottom of the door and a fiber optic camera inserted. The other side was clear of threats so Sarah gave the order to proceed. All four groups of agents were now safely on the roof despite the irritating spotlights. C4 was pressed into the door and detonated. A flash bang grenade was thrown in, followed by Sarah and several agents. The room had enough emergency lighting to illuminate all the corners.

"Shit!"

They were in a square room with a large steel cylinder in the middle. There was no stairwell. The cylinder looked to have one impenetrable door on it, split in the middle, probably to an elevator. Closer examination confirmed that the door and the cylinder actually were impenetrable. There was no control panel and they estimated the steel to be several feet thick. All their C4 combined wouldn't dent it.

"No wonder they just let us land!"

Sarah had the other agents search the roof for another access point to no avail. She keyed her radio.

"Casey, this is Sarah. Primary access denied. Going to backup."

She heard gunfire in the background as he responded. "Roger that. We are also going to alternate access plan. Will advise. Over."

_Damn!_

**  
Lobby area of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 1:57am on a weekday**

The NSA agents advanced on foot across the semi-circular courtyard in front of the Miller-Johnson building. A few run-of-the-mill security guards were subdued without injury. No threats were seen in the lobby through the tall glass façade so the assault cautiously proceeded. Eight agents circled around the side to break through an emergency fire exit, while twenty nine hoped to walk through the front door. They had planned to shoot their way in but hadn't fired a round yet. The eight agents reached the side door and radioed Casey. He gave the order to go.

His rifle up, Casey ran forward and felt like he had caught fire. Every inch of skin on his body felt like it had just been touched with a hot iron. He heard the screams of the agents around him and over the radio from the eight agents around the side. He remembered where he had felt the sensation before and ordered his men to retreat and take cover behind the courtyard's benches, and planters.

Agent Lee, his second-in-command managed between gasps, "They're not supposed to have an ADS!"

Casey remembered back a year, when he attended a non-lethal weapons demonstration. He scoffed at the term 'non-lethal weapon,' but went as ordered. There, he was a test subject for the Active Denial System, which beamed microwaves five hundred yards out and heated the skins water molecules. It was designed to break up crowds and not cause serious damage, but what he just felt was several times stronger than a year ago. Miller-Johnson had boosted the output to lethal levels and found a way to hide the emitters. Casey looked around for anything that resembled an emitter and failed. He smiled as he considered their backup plan. He thumbed his mic. "Go to plan Bravo." He was glad he wasn't being held back on this mission.

The eight agents from the failed side breech returned and opened fire on the glass façade with their rifles. The other thirty nine agents did the same. Sarah radioed Casey and he updated her on their status.

"Cease fire!"

The 5.56mm bullets from the rifles had simply bounced off, or put small scratches in the apparently very bullet-resistant glass. The 7.62mm bullets from the sniper rifles left small dents, but still didn't penetrate. Casey smiled.

"Javelin!"

An agent ran forward with a Javelin anti-tank missile and caught Casey's rifle as they switched weapons. Casey dropped to a kneeling position, took aim squarely at the front door, and fired.

The Javelin had a warhead designed to penetrate over twenty-three-and-a-half inches of steel armor. Against the Miller-Johnson entryway glass, it punched a one foot diameter hole. The glass surrounding the hole was scorched but otherwise intact.

Casey's smile disappeared. _Damn defense contractors! _This was taking longer than planned. If they were having this much trouble getting in the front door…

Casey turned to Agent Lee. "How many more missiles do we have?"

"Eleven more sir. They're coming forward now."

"Ok, we'll have to make them work. We're getting inside, or bringing down this building, whichever comes first." He keyed his mic. "X-Ray Five and Six, get your asses down here."

**  
Waiting area of CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:03am on a weekday**

Chuck and Nikki sat across a coffee table from each other while Abrams walked around the room talking into his radio. They heard a muted thud and felt a small tremor through the floor. Chuck wondered if Casey had anything to do with it.

He had steadfastly avoided looking at Nikki since they sat down. Chuck couldn't believe he had been so stupid. Did he think he was some kind of trained CIA seducer tempting evil girls with morality and honesty? _I'm such an idiot! I'm such a fu…"_

He heard Nikki kick the table lightly. He couldn't stop his reaction and found himself looking directly at her. Abrams was walking toward them from the side so they just held each other's gaze. Nikki's face was emotionless; Chuck looked like a boy who had just lost his dog. Abrams got a call on his radio and turned around. Nikki suddenly smiled and winked at Chuck.

Chuck lurched back in surprise as Nikki continued to smile. He mouthed "Really?" to her and she nodded then put her finger to her lips.

"Abrams?" she called.

He muted his radio and approached her. "Ma'am?"

"Can you go check with my father and see when's he's planning to get out of the building?"

Abrams hesitated, "Your father said I was to keep an eye on Bartowski and make sure he doesn't try anything."

Nikki laughed. "You know I've been a Krav Maga instructor for five years, right? You think this geek can take me?"

Abrams looked at Chuck, and snickered. "Of course not, ma'am. I'll be right back."

Chuck whispered as soon as Abrams entered the CEO's office.

"Nice, does everyone think I'm just a big wuss? I have other things to offer you know…"

"Chuck, not now! I need to tell you what's going on."

"Oh yeah, ok. Go."

"Chuck, the E-bomb in the Beta Intersect will go off when it receives the signal in, oh, twenty five minutes. I need to get to the basement and hack some code to block the signal. It won't take me long to do it, just a few minutes. We need to find a way to get down there."

"Aren't all the elevators and stairwells locked down?"

"There are biometric locks. I happen to be one of the keys."

"Ok, ok. So how do we get down there? What if we just walked out of here right now?"

The door to the CEO's office opened and Ryan emerged. Chuck instantly felt fear at the man's stare.

"Ms. Johnson, your father is planning to leave in fifteen minutes via helicopter. We'll turn the rooftop ADS on the fed choppers once the backup generators generate enough power and force them away."

"Excellent, Ryan. In the meantime, I need to get down to the GDN to ensure the E-bomb signal gets through. I'd like Bartowski to come with me so he can act as a buffer against the government. They won't come in shooting if he's in the room."

"Your father wants you to wait here for him. He'll be out in a few minutes, then you can head downstairs. He wants Chuck to go downstairs now, so he can be in place when the feds eventually break in. You're right, they won't come in shooting if he's in the room so that's where he's going now."

Chuck looked distressingly at Nikki. She had no choice but to let Chuck go. If it was only Ryan, she felt confident about taking him out. But three armed, well-trained men were too many. She would have to follow him downstairs as fast as she could. She gave him a small smile and hoped he could read her eyes.

Ryan signaled for Chuck to stand, and put his large hand on his shoulder. He stood a good four inches above Chuck. "Let's go, geek shield." The two walked down the hallway.

**  
Rooftop of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:09am on a weekday**

"Sarah, the building's glass is stronger than it looks. A Javelin only blew a small hole in it. You need to find alternate means to enter. Casey out."

Sarah cursed in frustration. The clock was running and they hadn't even penetrated the building's first layer of defense. They had no idea of the building's impenetrability beforehand. They would eventually get in, but were trading away time; time for Raymond and his daughter to escape.

Her alternate access plan was to rappel down the side of the building and break through the glass into the CEO's office which was situated on the top floor. Casey's warning blew that plan apart. Maybe. She remembered something.

"Vazquez, get all the C4 blocks together. Cut a v-shape lengthwise into one side of the blocks and tape them together into an, oh, five-and-a-half foot diameter circle."

"Shaped charge big enough to make an agent sized hole, yes ma'am" she responded while quickly moving to collect the other agent's explosives.

Theoretically, the shaped charge would create a jet that would cut through the glass like butter. If it didn't work, Sarah would be hanging outside the building almost seven hundred feet up with no way in.

**  
Lobby area of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:11am on a weekday**

Casey had expended all twelve Javelins on the front door area. The lobby was now ventilated by twelve small holes in the glass. X-Ray Five and Six were hovering a few feet above the courtyard.

Casey shouted into his radio, "Fire!"

The helicopter crews fired their GAU-2 miniguns and two giant ripping zippers echoed between the buildings. Four thousand rounds per minute of 7.62mm rounds spewed out from large tongues of flame. The bullet casings piled up into small mountains on the ground. They expended their ammunition supply in a minute.

When the smoke cleared, the damaged glass was fractured and cracked, but still intact. Casey took one look, and told everyone to return to their vehicles. He got into the drivers seat of a Suburban and buckled his seatbelt. Once the other agents were onboard and buckled, he floored it and headed directly for the front door. Crashing through plants and benches, Casey reached nearly forty miles per hour when he impacted the area. With a huge bang, the front of the Suburban crumpled setting off the airbags inside. However, enough kinetic energy was imparted on the impact zone to shatter the damaged glass and the Suburban burst through, and skidded to a halt in the lobby after crushing the reception desk. The other vehicles drove through the hole and turned the lobby into a parking lot.

Casey and the agents in his destroyed vehicle stumbled out and raised their rifles up, looking for any ADS emitters. They didn't see any, nor did they feel any burning. The van parked closest to the breech point confirmed that the ADS was only active outside the lobby's perimeter.

Casey ran to the locked elevators. "Someone get me access to the elevators and stairs!"

Agents deployed their electronic gear to hack the biometric locks.

Casey radioed Sarah. "Walker, we're in the lobby. Working on elevator and stair access. Watch out for ADS. Casey out."


	10. Ch 10 Eighteen minutes ago

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 10 – 18 minutes ago**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:12am on a weekday**

Ryan sat Chuck down in a corner of the GDN. Everyone in the room was scurrying about securing data, erasing hard drives, and shredding paper. On his radio, Ryan listened to progress reports on the NSA/CIA attack and barked out commands.

"Look, I think you guys have everything handled here. Can you tell me which way the bathroom is?"

Ryan looked annoyingly at Chuck. "You choose. Die now, or die later?"

Chuck gulped and squeezed himself deeper into the corner. "Um, later."

"Too bad. Now shut up and stay put."

Ryan's face left no room for argument.

**  
Outside of top floor, Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:13am on a weekday**

Using borrowed night vision goggles, Sarah and Agent Vazquez dangled off the building's top floor on the opposite side from the CEO's office. This unoccupied part of the floor contained secretaries and assistants offices. The hastily taped together circle of C4 hung between them. They taped the explosive to the building's glass in a roughly oval shape, with the v-shaped cuts in the C4 facing the glass. A detonator had been pressed into each block.

With the explosive ring fastened, the two agents scrambled sideways away from the blast zone. Small suction cups held them in place. Sarah spoke into her radio.

"Everyone clear on the plan?"

"Roger. You're good to go."

Sarah looked at Agent Vazquez who gave her a thumbs-up, then pulled out her wireless trigger, flipped the safety, and pressed the fire button.

**  
CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:13am on a weekday**

A deafening explosion rocked the floor. After ducking involuntarily, Raymond Johnson turned to his third guard.

"Keller, they've breached the floor earlier than expected. Activate the roof ADS now!"

"Sir, the generators haven't stored enough power yet. It won't be lethal."

"Doesn't matter, we need to slow them down."

Keller called security on his radio and gave the order power the rooftop ADS.

**  
Outside of top floor, Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:13am on a weekday**

The smoke cleared quickly and Sarah felt relieved upon seeing that the shaped charge had indeed carved an oval hole in the building's glass. She and Vazquez would enter first, followed by most of the other CIA agents on the roof. They would rappel down in pairs.

Sarah released the suction cup and let gravity swing her toward the hole. She pushed off the building with her feet and perfectly anticipated her entry. She sailed through the opening cleanly, detaching her harness as she did. Her feet touched the floor first and she did a forward roll to the right, bringing her rifle up to the firing position as she finished up in a kneeling stance. Agent Vazquez was right behind her and ended up in the same position to her left. No threats were seen.

Sarah keyed her mic to order the rest of the agents down the ropes, but was unable to make contact. She heard incoherent screams over her earpiece.

She looked at Vazquez. "CEO's office, now. Fast and hard."

The two agents quickly navigated the empty hallway leading to Raymond Johnson's office. They crouched on opposite sides of the closed waiting room door and deployed a fiber optic camera underneath. Hand signals communicated that one armed and one unarmed person were on the other side. Sarah placed lumps of C4 onto the door knob and hinge areas of the door, affixed detonators, and inched back along the wall. Counting with her fingers, she pressed the fire button on three.

The door shattered into a thousand pieces as the blast deafened Nikki and Abrams on the other side. Nikki was blown off her feet, but Abrams remained upright, being further from the door. Nikki caught a flash of blond hair fly through the smoky doorway before noticing that Abrams was falling backwards with a red hole in the center of his forehead. He never had a chance to raise his P90.

Sarah and Agent Vazquez rushed past Nikki who looked back in surprise. Sarah's face clearly sent the message she was trying to convey. _Stay on the floor or die._

They rushed the inner door to the CEO's office, firing several rounds at the lock, handle and hinges before kicking in the door. As they did, Keller fired at them with his P90, but didn't connect. Using the sides of the doorway as cover, Sarah and Vazquez threw flash bang grenades into the room, and entered as soon as they exploded.

The bright light and loud noise had the desired effect as Raymond Johnson and Keller both staggered back for a moment. Keller recovered quickly and began to spray the room wildly with bullets. He shot high since the agents had both rolled into the room and Keller was taken down by another headshot from Sarah.

In an instant, Sarah rounded the desk, and hit Raymond in his mouth with her rifle butt. He landed hard on his back. She put her foot on his chest and aimed the rifle at his eyes.

"Do you have an ADS on the roof? Turn if off now."

Raymond smiled with bloody teeth while he caught his breath. "Nice to meet you too Ms. Walker. I will gladly turn it off if you show me your warrant."

"I'm not screwing around Johnson! You're going to do what I say. Turn it off now! Where the hell is Chuck?"

Raymond laughed. "Do you know who my friends are? You and your agency will be finished after this. Go ahead, beat me up. I'll win in the end."

Sarah ordered Vazquez out to guard Nikki while she regrouped. She spoke into her radio.

"Casey, CEO office clear; ADS being used on rest of team on roof. What's your status?"

"We haven't hacked the biometric locks yet. Our techies can't figure it out."

"Copy. I'll try and find a solution up here."

She looked around the office. She tried the workstation, but was locked out of any sensitive files and networks by Raymond's password. She didn't have time to get that out of him. She pulled out her phone and called Chuck only to hear his phone ring in Raymond's office. She had to find him, secure the GDN downstairs, and get Casey and his bunch past the lobby. And deal with Nikki Johnson. All the contractors were probably downstairs guarding the GDN. The building's passive security had already given them fits and incapacitated the rest of her team.

Sarah looked at Raymond's sneering face and unsheathed her largest knife as an idea occurred to her.

**  
Waiting area of CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:15am on a weekday**

Agent Vazquez stood above Nikki and let her know that she wouldn't tolerate any foolishness. Nikki had to find a way to get down to the GDN. She had to find Chuck.

She didn't think Sarah would believe her story about stopping the E-bomb. While her mind raced, her ears were still ringing when she heard her father scream in agony. She had never heard him shout like that. In fact, she had never heard any man scream like that. There was another blood-curdling yell that didn't last as long as the first. Then, it was back to the ear ringing until Sarah emerged from her father's office. She was wiping blood off her knife.

"Vazquez, give him first aid and make sure he doesn't bleed out. He won't be going anywhere. I'm heading down to the lobby. And shut the door."

Agent Vazquez left Nikki and went to her father's office with a curt nod. Nikki noticed what Sarah was carrying in her hand. It looked like two of her father's fingertips.

"My GOD, Sarah! How could you?!"

Sarah emotionlessly put the two fingertips in a Ziploc bag, then into a vest pocket.

She slung her rifle over her shoulder, un-holstered her pistol, and began screwing a silencer on.

"Stand up."

Nikki felt true fear for the first time in her life. She stood, faced Sarah and pleaded.

"Sarah, you have to listen to me! You have to trust me, or trust Chuck at least! He told me all about the company's involvement with Fulcrum. He told me that I could come in to you and that you would protect us; that the CIA would protect us. He said that I could help take down Fulcrum…"

Sarah finished attaching the silencer. _What the hell is she talking about? Is she trying to buy time? This is my best chance to kill Nikki and save Chuck. I may not get another opportunity. I have to do it now. _Sarah had killed dozens of people before, but always on account of orders. She had never killed someone to satisfy her own agenda. She felt very dirty as she began down the slippery slope. _God save my soul. _She began raising the pistol to Nikki's forehead.

_She's going to kill me! _Nikki noticed a moment of doubt in Sarah's eyes and her body reacted. With her left hand, Nikki grabbed the barrel of the pistol and twisted it left. She simultaneously aimed a right jab at Sarah's neck. Sarah countered quickly and stepped back so the jab glanced across her jaw instead. Her left hand still twisting the gun, Nikki stepped into Sarah driving a shoulder into her chest. Sarah stumbled back before Nikki slapped the gun out of her grip. Sarah reached for a knife when Nikki dove into her and tackled her to the ground. They both grappled for position, but their strength and skills were evenly matched. Both managed to land a few short punches and elbows without causing much damage. Sarah's grabbed Nikki's left hand and twisted hard, dislocating her middle finger. Clamping down the pain, Nikki drove an elbow into Sarah's neck causing her to break her grip and threw a punch at her eye. That missed and connected with her forehead, opening up a cut. Then, Nikki head butted Sarah, causing her head to bounce off the floor. Nikki watched as Sarah's eyes rolled back into her head and she stopped fighting. She stood and took one of Sarah's knives.

Before Agent Vazquez could return to see what the noise was about, Nikki ran down the hall to a supply closet and into the elevator. She pressed her finger to the biometric reader and the door opened. She punched the button for the basement.

**  
Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:18am on a weekday**

Nikki reached the GDN and took in the chaos. She found Ryan and Chuck in a corner.

Chuck took in her appearance and oddly angled finger and asked, "What the hell happened?!"

"They're here. They've captured my dad and will be down here any minute. Clear the room."

Ryan got on his radio and ordered the contractors in the basement to defend all entry points. He then ordered all regular personnel out. The room cleared quickly.

"Ryan, you can go now. Leave Chuck here with me as a shield while I make sure the signal goes out."

Ryan looked unsure. "Ma'am, I don't think I can do that."

"Do what? Go, or leave Chuck here?"

Chuck stood up. "Nikki, I think he's going to kill me! He asked me if I wanted to die now or later. I said later."

Nikki looked at Ryan. "Is that true? Did my father give orders to kill Chuck? Just tell me the truth. I'm a tough girl. It doesn't matter to me if he lives or dies."

Ryan thought for an instant. "Yes ma'am, I was ordered to kill Chuck. Your father didn't want you to see it."

Nikki laughed. "Oh, that old prude! He thinks I can't take the sight of blood! You know what, kill him now for all I care. It doesn't matter. We only have a few minutes left anyway." To make her point, she grabbed her dislocated finger and snapped it back into place with a crack. Her face displayed no pain.

Chuck's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. No words came out.

Ryan turned his back to Nikki, looked at Chuck and laughed. "Wonder if I can make him piss himself before I kill him!" He flicked the safety off on his P90 and began to lift the weapon. Chuck closed his eyes.

Nikki flicked Sarah's knife out from its hiding place in her sleeve, raised it, and drove the entire blade into the back of Ryan's neck. His spinal cord severed, he silently collapsed.

Chuck was beginning to shake when Nikki walked over and touched his arm. He jumped at the contact and opened his eyes with a girlish scream. Nikki embraced him.

"You're ok now Chuck. Ryan's dead. Now help me stop the E-bomb. Start that laptop on the desk and make sure it's on the network."

As Chuck ran to the laptop, Nikki reached into Ryan's pocket and transferred something to her own.

**  
Waiting area of CEO's office, top floor of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:19am on a weekday**

Sarah woke with a start, as Agent Vazquez slapped her. "Walker, Agent Walker, wake up."

For the second time tonight, Sarah saw stars. She sat up and almost passed out again.

"I got the ADS shut down for the whole building. Johnson gave it up when I pulled out my knife and threatened to cut off an appendage which he only has one of. I'm in contact with the roof teams. They're a bit sunburned, but they'll live. Agent Casey is waiting for you in the lobby. I told him you have the keys to this joint."

"Good work. Damn NSA couldn't even get past the lobby! Anything else of use from Johnson?"

"He has a special access elevator directly to the GDN. It's located in a supply closet on this floor, and behind a false wall in the lobby. It only fits two at a time, but that's faster than taking on all the contractors head on. There are about forty of them down there in strong defensive positions. He said we're already too late. That Nikki will make sure the Beta Intersect dies."

"Help me up."

Sarah rose unsteadily but quickly regained her strength. Agent Vazquez handed Sarah's pistol back to her.

"I think you owe that bitch an ass kicking."

She holstered her pistol with a knowing smile.

**  
Lobby area of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:20am on a weekday**

Casey was extremely frustrated. With all the firepower at his disposal, they hadn't been able to penetrate further than the lobby. His agents hadn't been able to get the elevators or stairwells unlocked, and they were armored by metal as hard as the glass that made up the building's façade. He needed to get some of that for his next Crown Vic. Walker and the CIA had somehow found a way around the obstacle and reached the CEO's office. Now she was on the way down to let them in. The whole operation was FUBAR. He needed to shoot someone.

The elevator dinged and Agent Walker emerged looking a little worse for wear.

"Agent Vazquez and the CIA team have secured the top floor. Johnson needs some medical attention, but he'll live. There are two enemy KIA up there."

Casey felt a pang of jealousy. Walker already got two!

"Casey, here's the situation. Nikki and probably Chuck are down in the basement. There's a private elevator we're going to take down directly to the GDN. The rest of your guys will take the main elevator down and initiate contact with the contractors. There are about forty of them and they're well dug in. We need them occupied while we take care of business."

He took in the gash on her forehead and the disheveled state of her clothing and hair. He asked seriously, "Couldn't go through with it?"

She looked back with an equally serious look. They nodded to each other in silent understanding.

Agent Lee ran up. Sarah pulled out her Ziploc bag and handed one of Raymond Johnson's fingertips to him. Casey sneered, grimaced, and grunted at the same time.

"Here's your key. Keep the contractors downstairs occupied and away from the GDN."

"Yes ma'am."

"Casey, let's go end this."

**  
Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:24am on a weekday**

Chuck looked over Nikki's shoulder as she worked on the laptop. She calmly wrote a few lines of code, pasted it into a program, and saved the program under its original name. She hit a few more keys.

"That was it?"

"Yeah, that was it. Once the program compiles, I just have to execute it by pressing enter and an override signal will go out. Once ECHELON sees that, it will close the backdoor port my father set up to the Beta Intersect. The detonation signal won't be able to get through when the timer runs out. We have about six minutes."

"You can't just turn off the timer?"

"No, that was part of dad's scorched earth approach."

"How long until it compiles?"

"Not long."

Chuck looked at Nikki and they both burst out laughing. They felt relief that all the stress and danger was about to come to a happy conclusion. They embraced in a hug.

"My friends will be here soon. I think the good guys saved the day again!" Chuck exclaimed.

Nikki's smile faded and she shook her head. "I don't know if you can trust them. Sarah cut off my dad's fingers Chuck. She was going to kill me upstairs."

"What?! You saw Sarah upstairs? She wouldn't cut off…well, she definitely wasn't going to kill you. Why would she do that?"

"I don't know why, maybe the CIA ordered it. Maybe she just hates me, which I get. In any case, take this. Just in case. Remember, the button NEEDS to be pushed before the timer runs out."

Nikki handed Chuck the weapon she took from Ryan.

"No way, I can't use this! I've never fired a gun in my life! Who would I shoot anyways? I'm sure Sarah and Casey will be here anytime."

"It's insurance, Chuck. Just point and shoot. Keep it hidden."

Chuck looked questioningly at her, then put it into his jacket pocket to appease her. He though that the likelihood of actually using it was almost zero.

Chuck and Nikki instinctively ducked when they heard the sound of automatic gunfire coming from outside the room.

"I think your friends are here Chuck. The program has compiled. We should push the button now…"

"Freeze!"

Sarah and Casey closed on Chuck and Nikki, their rifles at the ready. Nikki put her hands up. The gunfire outside masked the sound of their approach.

"Sarah! Casey! I'm so glad to see you guys!"

"Nice to see you too Chuck," Casey said through gritted teeth. Sarah never looked at Chuck. Her eyes and rifle stayed pointed at Nikki.

"Guys, what are you doing?"

"We're stopping a dangerous criminal. Nikki here is a clear and present danger to the United States," Casey replied.

"Uhh..., no she's not! I explained to her that her father was helping Fulcrum. She didn't know about it. She agreed to come in and help us stop them! Sarah, she said she would come in with me to you!"

Sarah glanced sideways at Chuck and finally spoke. "Really Chuck? If she wanted to come in, why did she attack me upstairs?"

Chuck looked at Nikki. "You attacked Sarah?"

"I told you, she was going to kill me! Shoot me in the head in cold blood! I had to attack her to save my life!"

Sarah and Casey exchanged glances.

Confused, Chuck asked, "Sarah, you said you would protect me; that the CIA would protect Nikki and me. Why would you want to kill Nikki?"

Sarah looked at Chuck and for a split-second, he thought her face was saying 'FOR YOU!' He didn't understand.

Sarah's and Casey's radios crackled to life. It was Agent Lee.

"Be advised that several contractors are heading toward the GDN; Repeat, enemy approaching GDN."

"I'll guard the door Walker. You take care of business."

Casey and Sarah shared a look that scared him.

"Take these."

Sarah tossed her rifle and extra magazines to Casey and removed her body armor. Casey ran toward the door, found the most defensible position, and turned over chairs and tables to form a shield. He hung the body armor over the front for good measure.

Sarah un-holstered her pistol and aimed it at Nikki. Their eyes locked.

Chuck spoke rapidly. "Oh yeah, we need to push that button, like real soon. If we don't, an E-bomb will destroy the Beta Intersect." He thrust his hands into his windbreaker pockets out of nervousness and felt the pistol grip. His hand squeezed it tightly.

The contractors arrived and Casey dispatched the first two in the hallway outside the door. The rest found cover and were now returning fire. The office furniture splintered when impacted by their rounds.

Nikki's hand moved toward the keyboard before Sarah stopped her. "Don't even think about it."


	11. Ch 11 Zero Hour

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 11 – Zero Hour**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:30am on a weekday**

A brief moment of quiet allowed Chuck to realize of the absurdity of his current thoughts. A few feet in front of him, Agent Sarah Walker was in a two-handed shooting stance and looking very fierce. Wearing her usual action ensemble of comfortable black clothes with plenty of pockets, her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blue eyes were determined and intimidating. Despite the current life-or-death situation, Chuck noticed that the bloody gash above her left eye did little to upset the perfect symmetry of her face. He also couldn't help but notice her lean and curvy form under her outfit and felt a tiny bit of warmth at the memory of all the little touches they had shared. He always noticed when she touched his unruly hair, straightened his tie, or grabbed his hands to reassure him when he was freaking out.

"Goddammit Walker, Shoot!"

Chuck's quiet moment ended with an insistent shout from Casey and more loud bangs coming from his H&K 416 carbine. He had just dropped out an empty magazine and slapped in a fresh thirty rounds. Casey was about twenty feet behind Chuck, dressed in black, and crouched behind an improvised barricade of office furniture and bulletproof vests. His target was the only entry (and exit) point of the room. He wasn't hitting anybody at the moment, but his shots provided suppressive fire and kept them out.

_They_were the ex-SEAL/SAS/ MI6/Spetsnaz/super-soldier mercenaries that comprised the Miller-Johnson Corporation's private army of 'contractors.' The room _they_ desperately wanted to enter was the GDN of the corporation. The GDN was the Global Data Node of Miller-Johnson and reminded Chuck of NORAD from _Wargames_. It was much cooler looking than the real NORAD which had once shown up in an Intersect flash and was plain and boring in comparison. Every bit of data from Miller-Johnson's vast business empire flowed into the GDN so that the corporation's decision-makers could do their jobs. For a corporation with 110,000 employees around the world and 48 billion in revenue, that meant a lot of bits. So many bits that the four floors below the GDN housed countless racks of servers, wiring, cooling, and storage.

The subject of Sarah's angry blue eyes stood a few feet directly in front of her behind a desk with a laptop on it. The laptop was plugged into the GDN network and a finger was poised inches above the Enter key. The finger belonged to a stunning 5'9" tall brunette with long wavy hair, bright blue eyes, and a lean and curvaceous form that resulted from a lifetime of exercise and training. Morgan had been quick to point out that she was what a brunette Sarah would look and act like. From a God's eye view, Chuck, Sarah, and Nikki formed an equilateral triangle.

"Back away from the computer!" Sarah commanded to Nikki. "I will kill you if you don't."

Nikki flinched at the complete ruthlessness she saw in Sarah's eyes. And at the large barrel of the .45 caliber pistol pointed at her head. After the past few weeks, she knew that Sarah hated her guts. She would feel the same were their roles reversed. "Sarah wait…" she started.

Chuck interrupted "Sarah, don't shoot! You don't understand! Nikki's trying to do the right thing!"

Sarah's eyes flicked over to Chuck. "Chuck, I don't know what lies she's told you but she is doing the WRONG thing. If I don't stop her, she will destroy everything. She is a traitor to this country and you've been helping her! I have orders to stop her at any cost. I have orders that even you are expendable on this mission."

Chuck shivered at her words. Sarah was colder and harder than he had ever seen. He knew he shouldn't be surprised after the revelations of the past few weeks. He knew that she was a far better actress then even he suspected. The killer in front of him must be the true Sarah Walker or whatever her name really was. He knew she could walk into a parking lot and instantly memorize all the license plates, plot out escape routes, and calculate her best source of cover. He knew that with her looks and skills, she could manipulate men at will. Brilliant, experienced political leaders and businessmen had succumbed to her wiles. He knew for a fact how far she was willing to 'compromise' herself to get close to her mark. She could get close to any man in the world and kill him and his family without leaving one iota of her involvement. What chance did he ever have to resist her? He was just an under-employed college dropout with a low pain threshold who only had one-and-a-half girlfriends his whole life (Lou didn't last long and ended up being a mission). He felt like such an idiot. He still felt that he was in love with her.

Nikki remained still, her finger trembling over the laptop's enter key. She hoped that Chuck could convince Sarah not to kill her before she pushed the button. If she didn't push the button, all would be lost

"Sarah, Nikki and I are not traitors!" After the past few weeks, he would suspect the same thing if he were Sarah. He had to find a way to get through to her.

"I know that things look bad…" he paused to compose his thoughts and wait for a particularly intense volley of shots between Casey and the contractors to pass. "I know that things look bad, and that the last couple of weeks have been a little rocky between us. But you have to believe me, Nikki and I are doing the RIGHT thing, the right thing for this country. We are the good guys." A memory of a warm, surprisingly smog-free sunrise on the beach came back to him. "Remember when you asked me to trust you? Well, I did Sarah, I always have. Well, after the Zarnow thing I have. Now I'm asking you to trust me. You don't have to believe me, but I'm asking you to trust me. Let Nikki push the button."

Sarah's eyes flicked from Nikki to Chuck again, but lingered this time. Chuck noticed her gaze soften for the first time this morning, and felt a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of reaching her. His hands had been sweating in the pockets of his Buy More windbreaker this whole time. His right hand was sweating around a pistol grip with his finger on the trigger. He hoped he didn't have to use his weapon. The only gun he had fired successfully shot at TV screens. Nikki had told him to just point and shoot.

Sarah's face registered a range of emotions starting with frustration, then anguish, then a more pleasant look as Chuck imagined her remembering the sunrise on the beach. He thought he could read her mind as she displayed her feelings for a moment. She was thinking of trusting him. She was going to let Nikki push the button because Chuck asked her to. She didn't just think of him as another mark. She really did have some true feelings for him. Her tear on the rooftop was real. Everything was going to work out just fi...

"Chuck, you tell Nikki to back away from the computer or I will blow her head off."

_Shit. I'm such an idiot. She played me from the start. I'm going to change my name from Chuck to Big Stupid Sucker Mark. If I survive..._

"Walker, if you don't shoot her, I have a shot from here. I'm down to my last two mags so you better hurry!" Casey quickly and efficiently ejected another empty magazine and inserted fresh ammo. "Bartowski is in my line of fire, but he is expendable, right?" Sarah glanced at Casey with a look that Chuck read as fear. _Nah, it can't be that._ She looked back at Chuck with a now unreadable expression.

Nikki took advantage of Sarah's short distraction to move her finger toward the Enter key. Chuck noticed her motion in the corner of his vision. Sarah noticed the change in Chuck's eyes and snapped her attention back to Nikki. Chuck knew that they're all out of time. He pulled his weapon from his pocket and to his great surprise, it came out cleanly without him somehow messing it up. He brought it up and pointed it at Sarah.

Time seemingly slowed down for everyone in the room. Sarah noticed Chuck's weapon pointing at her and glanced at him with an expression that he now has no difficulty reading. Betrayal. Anger. Hurt. He feels like the floor has just dropped out and he is free-falling. Sarah instantly focused back to Nikki and her finger tightened around the trigger. At that moment, Chuck fired his weapon. Chuck's aim is dead on and strikes Sarah square on her chest. Sarah screamed out in pain, convulsed, and lost her footing. As she fell to the floor, she got off one poorly-aimed shot at Nikki which impacted her left shoulder. Sarah's shot was too late however. Nikki had gotten to the Enter key first.

It took mere nanoseconds for the keystroke to signal the trigger to fire. The Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator, more commonly known as an E-bomb exploded. Eighty five layers of conductive metal discs arranged in a cylinder deformed when the plastic explosive packed between them detonated. The explosion propagated outward from the axis of the cylinder deforming the metal discs and acting as a conductive piston. The conductive piston compressed the magnetic field inside each disc creating an inductive current. The induced current from all eighty five discs reached maximum was shunted to the load. An electromagnetic pulse measured in tens of terawatts was directed at the many racks of hardware and software that made up the Beta Intersect. Despite being hardened against EMP attacks, the Beta Intersect couldn't withstand a pulse from within the EMP shielding. The Beta Intersect ceased to function and all data stored within was lost.


	12. Ch 12 Four minutes after

_Note: Sorry for the long delay, but vacation took precedence!_

**  
Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 12 – 4 Minutes after**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Basement of Century City HQ of Miller-Johnson Corporation, Los Angeles, 2:34am on a weekday**

It was completely dark.

When Nikki pushed the button, all the lights had gone off. All the computer displays had shut off, and the various alarms and klaxons had gone silent. Even the agent's radios became mute.

Casey heard a single gunshot just as the darkness set in. He was a bit surprised Sarah had the stones to execute Nikki right in front of Chuck. If he were in her place, he was confident that he would have done it, but things were always more complicated when it came to Chuck and Sarah, especially with a third female thrown in the mix. Well, what used to be a third female.

He donned his night-vision goggles and scanned the doorway and hall. The shooting initially slowed when the lights went out, but had now intensified. The bullets weren't coming toward him this time, which was fortunate because he was down to his last thirty rounds. The pause of incoming fire allowed him time to toss two fragmentation grenades into the hallway. He was satisfied upon hearing painful screams. He mentally prepared for what could come next. Expend rifle ammo and grenades. Shoot off pistol. Use knife. Use any object within reach. Kill with bare hands.

After an intense flurry of gunfire, it became silent. Casey took aim at the hallway.

"Agent Casey! Hold your fire!"

It was Agent Lee.

"Lee, what the hell's going on?"

"We've neutralized the threat sir. The hall is clear of contractors. I'm going to walk slowly towards you."

Through his goggles, Casey saw a ghostly white image approaching with his hands up. Wearing the same garb as him, he saw the figure's infra-red IFF tape affixed to his shoulder. He lowered his rifle.

"Lee, come on in."

"You got a bunch just outside the door sir."

Casey smiled as Agent Lee entered the GDN and gave him SitRep. The NSA agents had used the sudden loss of lighting to rush the contractors, who lacked any night-vision. They had killed the majority of the enemy and took a few alive.

The immediate threat gone, he stood up and turned around. "Walker…"

Casey's words caught in his throat as he took in the scene. It looked like Sarah and Nikki were both lying on the floor. Chuck was standing frozen, holding some kind of weapon. He rushed over with his rifle aimed at Chuck.

Things happened fast after Chuck pulled the trigger. He didn't even realize that the lights were out for several seconds. It took him several more to note that all the electrical power had gone off. He faintly heard explosions and gunfire in the background, but was too stunned to move. So, he waited. The gunfire faded away. He heard Casey talking to someone. He still couldn't move until someone roughly hit the top of his hands, sending the weapon skittering across the floor. The emergency lights came on with a loud click as someone grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him against a desk.

"Chuck, what the hell did you do?!"

Chuck couldn't speak until Casey slapped him. "We had to push the button. We had to save the Beta."

"Owwww…"

The groan made both men turn.

Sarah was attempting to sit up on the floor. She removed the two taser electrodes from her chest and disgustedly threw them away.

Chuck snapped out of his daze, broke free from Casey's grasp, and ran over to Sarah. He dropped to his knees and swallowed her in a hug.

"Sarah, Sarah, thank god you're ok! I'm so sorry! I had to do it. We had to save the Beta Intersect. I'm sorry! There wasn't time to explain!"

Sarah sighed. "Chuck, I'll be ok. You're squeezing too hard."

Chuck released his hug and moved back. He clasped Sarah's shoulders with his hands.

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to shoot you," Chuck sincerely said. His eyes echoed his words and sentiment.

Sarah looked back wearily. "We'll talk about this later. Why don't you go check on Nikki? I think she's been shot."

Chuck gave her a very sad smile, then stood and rushed over to Nikki. Casey took a knee beside Sarah.

"What's our status?"

"We're clear. The power outage provided the opportunity for our guys to take them out."

Both agents turned to see Chuck kneeling over Nikki.

Chuck smiled at her when he saw that her eyes were open. Nikki was holding her right hand over her left shoulder. Blood had stained her clothes and was beginning to pool on the floor.

"Does it hurt?"

"That's a dumb question. Do you need a dumb answer?"

They shared a small smile.

"You did it. You pushed the button on time. You saved the Beta Intersect."

Nikki's smile disappeared. Chuck's anxiety grew.

"You didn't push the button on time?"

Nikki looked at Chuck for several seconds before answering. "I did push the button on time. But I didn't save the Beta Intersect."

Chuck's anxiety turned into full-fledged panic. "What? What do you mean you didn't save the Beta Intersect?"

The medics arrived and pulled Chuck back as they treated Nikki's gunshot wound.

"What do you mean you didn't save the Beta Intersect!?" Chuck yelled.

The medics cut away her clothing and pressed a HemCon bandage to the puncture to stop the bleeding. They made a quick check of her vitals, and a folding stretcher was opened. As they picked her up and placed her on the stretcher, she began to lose consciousness. Before she did, she found Chuck with her eyes.

"Chuck, I did it for us."

**  
Agent Casey's apartment in Echo Park, Los Angeles, 8:20am on a weekday**

The cleanup crews arrived at the Miller-Johnson building once all the threats were neutralized. Raymond Johnson and his daughter were taken to a non-descript office building that served as a secret CIA medical facility. Raymond's fingertips were recovered and were currently being reattached. Nikki was recovering from surgery. Sarah's bullet had only damaged flesh and missed any bone or vital arteries.

Chuck told Sarah and Casey everything he knew, then fell asleep on the floor of the GDN. Sarah and Casey sent their initial after action reports to D.C., turned over command of the scene at around 4:30am and drove back to Casey's apartment. Chuck woke up to walk to the Suburban, then slept in the back seat all the way home. The agents told him to meet them at Casey's at 8:30am for a debriefing. Chuck nodded and staggered through his bedroom window. Sarah joined Casey in his apartment.

They recounted their experiences to each other, filling in the blanks and preparing to meet their bosses.

"Good thing you didn't cap Nikki upstairs. It looks like she's the one who knifed that big contractor in the GDN. He brought Chuck downstairs to kill him."

Sarah didn't respond. She could have killed Chuck by trying to save him. Things were getting too complicated.

"Do we know what Nikki did when she pushed the button?" she asked.

"She turned out the lights. Beyond that, Beckman and Graham should know more from the cleanup crews."

"Chuck trusted her. He thought she was going the right thing."

"I was proud of him for standing up to you, but zapping you with a taser is on another level."

"I didn't see that one coming."

"No one did."

Casey wrote down some notes before stopping and looking seriously at Sarah.

"Were you really going to do it? The whole thing with Nikki?"

Sarah looked back at him before dropping her eyes to the floor. "I was. I just took all my emotions out of the equation. I could hear a voice screaming in my head that it was wrong and not to do it. But I was about to."

Casey looked at her until she returned his gaze. "Your emotions were the whole equation. You may have been able to kill Nikki but I don't know if I would have been able to kill Chuck. I don't think I'm the same person I was six months ago. This assignment has made me soft."

"It's made you more human. Both of us."

Casey gave her a happy grunt. "Fair enough. None of this leaves the room."

Sarah smiled back. "Thanks partner."

Casey grunted unhappily. "Don't let me hear you say that again."

They heard a knock on the door and checked their watches. 8:28am.

Sarah opened the door to find Chuck wearing the same clothes as earlier, carrying a tray with three steaming coffees. He looked the same as them, like death warmed over.

"I couldn't sleep after we got back so I made myself useful."

Sarah and Casey gratefully took the coffee.

"Sarah, again, I'm sorry about tasing you. I didn't see any other way to try and save the Beta. We were out of time."

"Chuck, you did what you thought was right. There's something to be said for that," she said sadly.

Before Chuck could reply, the computer beeped, signaling that General Beckman and Director Graham were ready. They stood before the screen and Casey pushed the button.

From the looks of it, everyone involved in the videoconference had been working all night.

"Agents, Chuck," Graham began. "Let's get to with the bad news first. Nikki Johnson was able to detonate the E-bomb self-destruct mechanism within the Beta Intersect at Fort Meade. It is a total loss."

Chuck had never felt so guilty in his life. He helped Nikki and she betrayed him! Sarah was right, he was a traitor.

"We also found the location of Johnson's mirror Beta Intersect. It was integrated into Miller-Johnson's GDN computers. The cleanup crews report that it was also destroyed by an E-bomb, triggered by Nikki Johnson's program," Graham continued.

"Explains why all the lights went out." said Casey. "Hey, we're not going get cancer from that E-bomb, are we?"

Beckman spoke for the first time. "The E-bomb only affects electronics, but let us know if your hair starts falling out, Major. Apparently, Raymond Johnson created an exact copy of the Beta, down to the self-destruct device. Instead of shutting the backdoor port in the Fort Meade Beta, Nikki's program opened a port in the Mirror Beta and allowed the timed destruct signal in. If she hadn't done so, only the government's Beta would have been destroyed."

"So Nikki could have saved at least one of the Betas, but decided to destroy them both. Why?" asked Sarah.

Beckman looked at Chuck. "Did Nikki Johnson say anything to you, Chuck?"

Chuck knew it was wishful thinking to escape this videoconference without speaking. He swallowed twice before answering in a barely audible voice. "She said she did it for us." Sarah looked over at Chuck, but his focus stayed forward.

"Us indeed, Chuck," Graham replied. "She regained consciousness from her surgery less than an hour ago and has communicated with us. Would you like to know what she said?"

"Sure."

"Immediately after regaining consciousness from her surgery, she delivered a statement to us via our interrogators. Along with a contract of sorts. She said that since both Beta Intersects are gone, the CIA and NSA will continue to require the services of the Human Intersects. She offered her full cooperation to us and agreed to live in our custody provided that Chuck stays in L.A. and lives freely with you two as his handlers. She will assist us in our investigation of Miller-Johnson and their connection with Fulcrum. She will also be a research subject for the eventual construction of the Gamma Intersect."

Sarah was shocked. "You mean she basically traded herself away so that everything out here remains status quo?"

Graham looked a bit surprised himself. "Yes, that's basically it. Considering that we only have the two Human Intersects at this time, our best play is to accept her offer of full cooperation. We can double the number of operations we run."

Things had definitely not worked out the way Chuck thought just a few hours before. "Where are you going to keep Nikki? Does she get to stay in L.A.?"

"She will be relocated to a secure holding facility here on the east coast. It would be prudent for us to keep our Intersects geographically separated."

"Can I see Nikki before you transfer her?"

"We'll think about it. You're to be commended for trying to stop Nikki, Chuck. Even if your aim was a bit off."

Chuck was at a total loss. "Huh?"

"Agents Walker and Casey mentioned in their initial reports that you attempted to stop Nikki Johnson by shooting her with a taser. In the commotion, you ended up hitting Agent Walker by mistake. While we don't want the Intersect in a dangerous situation, we do appreciate you showing initiative. Perhaps some firearms and self defense training are in order."

Chuck turned to Sarah and Casey who gave him small grins.

"Umm, yeah. Maybe that would be helpful."

"Agents, see to it that Chuck learns how to aim better, should the need ever arise."

"We will."

Casey asked, "And what is the fate of Raymond Johnson and his company?"

"The press will learn that Raymond Johnson was the unfortunate victim of a botched plastic surgery procedure. An anesthesiologist killed him with an overdose. In reality, he will be placed in a secure holding facility and asked questions; lots of questions. His company will be quietly investigated with Nikki Johnson's help and we will handpick new executives. The company supplies the defense and intelligence community with too many vital products and services to fail. Their contractors are being arrested as we speak. Fulcrum seems to have sat this battle out, but we're hoping to find useful intelligence from their links with Miller-Johnson."

Chuck had finished his coffee and was beginning to feel the adrenaline crash. The immediate danger was over. He was going to keep living his dual life for a while.

"Chuck, why don't you get some sleep? We have far more detailed reports to discuss with Agents Casey and Walker that you don't need to be present for. Thank you for your continued contribution."

Stifling a yawn, Chuck looked Beckman and Graham in the eyes. "Thank you, for continuing to value my contributions."

When the front door latched, Beckman questioned the agents. "Does Chuck know about the kill order we had on him?"

Sarah quickly answered. "No, he had no idea. Nikki Johnson may have shared a lot of intel with him, but I don't think he knew about that."

"And neither of you two told him?"

"No ma'am."

"No ma'am."

"Very well. We certainly can't have any contracts out on our remaining Intersects. Nikki Johnson succeeded in sparing Chuck's life. At least until the Gamma Intersect is completed. With Miller-Johnson in chaos, that won't be for a long time. I hope you two are comfortable where you are. Let's go over your reports now."


	13. Ch 13 Fifteen point five hours after

**Chuck vs. the Defense Contractor, Chapter 13 – 15.5 hours after**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all related to _Chuck_. No characters, no plots, no themes, no nothing. Enjoy!

**  
Secret CIA medical facility, Los Angeles, 5:02pm on a weekday**

The building looked just like every other tilt-up with green glass in an anonymous business park. Chuck entered the TekTel Systems office in suite 131 and was greeted by the attractive receptionist.

"Hello sir, can I help you?"

"Sure. What do you think about the Dodgers this year? Who's your favorite player?"

"I like Andruw Jones. Who's your favorite player?"

"I like Jeff Kent. However, I think the Giants will win the NL West this year. They're going to win ninety-nine games."

The receptionist regarded Chuck for a moment before pushing a button on her phone. Chuck worried that his total lack of sports knowledge had caused him to bungle the code phrases.

"Please have a seat Mr. Bartowski. Someone will be out shortly."

Chuck felt like a new man as he received his visitor ID at the CIA medical facility where Nikki was recuperating. Seven hours of uninterrupted sleep had done wonders. He was fortunate to have had the day off. Casey and Sarah had to invent plausible excuses to miss work. Their videoconference with D.C. didn't end until 10:30 that morning. Chuck hadn't talked to them since their morning debriefing, but Sarah left him a voicemail time-stamped at 11:05am with instructions on how to see Nikki.

His guide led him into a room that had two armed guards and an elevator that only went down. Four levels down, Chuck walked out of the elevator into something resembling a hospital floor, except for the multitude of cameras and armed guards. They walked the length of the hall and stopped before two more guards who verified Chuck's ID. He was allowed into Nikki's room alone.

She was sleeping peacefully as he approached. He took in her features and noted her attractiveness. She was looking pale and tired, but recent events would have caused anyone distress. He stood quietly by her bed and simply watched, resisting the urge to brush some unruly dark hair away from her face.

"Hi Chuck."

He jumped a bit, feeling like he'd been caught looking when he shouldn't have.

"You're awake."

"Just now. I knew it was you." Nikki opened her eyes and sat up as much as her injured shoulder allowed. "I'm glad you came to see me."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if they would let me, but I think I'm in their good graces at the moment."

She smiled at him and awkward silence ensued. Chuck finally spoke.

"You lied to me."

Nikki looked away and composed her thoughts before looking back.

"I'm sorry. I did what I thought was best for you and me. There wasn't time for debate. I didn't think you could see past your trust of Sarah."

"Sarah and Casey covered for me. They said I was trying to taser you and missed by mistake."

"It's their best play at the moment. Continuing to work with the Intersect ensures that they get the best and biggest missions. Nothing could be better for their careers."

Chuck's ire began to rise. "You don't know them like I do. We've been working together for months!"

Nikki sadly looked at Chuck. "I don't think you know them as well as you think. I saw Sarah in my father's office after she cut off his fingers. She was going to kill me on the spot. I've worked with military and intelligence people around the world. Professionals in that field get a look in their eyes when they're about to do something like that. Sarah is as cold and ruthless as they come. If you're up to it one day, ask her why she was going to kill me."

Chuck wondered if he'd ever have the nerve to ask.

"Chuck, I'm just trying to help you see things as they are. You and I are kindred spirits of a sort. There are things that only the two of us can ever understand about each other. I know you'll make the right decisions. But don't stop questioning things. Once you cease to be an asset, they won't hesitate to get rid of you."

"So that's why you did it, right? You made us both priceless resources for the government?"

"I also have to try and right some of my father's wrongs. His original intentions may have been noble, but his methods became despicable. Thank you for that."

"For what?"

"For being you. For showing me that things aren't all gray, and that sometimes you have to choose a side. Promise me something."

"Sure."

"Don't ever let this dirty game corrupt you. Keep being one of the good guys. Despite my wariness about Sarah and Casey, I think you've worn off a bit on them. I do hope they are the protectors you think they are." She lifted her uninjured arm and extended her hand.

Chuck thought seriously about what she said and clasped her hand. "Ok. If I ever become morally ambiguous, will you come back and set me straight?"

Nikki laughed out loud. "If you ever turn gray, I'll come back and whip your ass myself! Or maybe I'll convince them that they only need one Intersect and that I'm the one to keep."

"Hah…you're kidding right?"

Before his smile faded completely, she winked.

"Well, I wish you would have told me beforehand, but I guess killing the Beta Intersects was one way to keep us alive."

"It was our best option."

"So now what? When do you officially become Intersect East?"

"Soon. I should be able to move in a few days."

"Think we'll ever work together?"

"It makes sense. We'll probably get to verify each other's flashes and maybe they'll combine our brainpower on some big tasks."

"Well ok then. Until next time."

Nikki pulled on Chuck's hand and brought him closer until their faces were nearly touching. She released his hand and placed her hand on his cheek as they kissed lightly. The kiss acknowledged the deep bond they shared that was more friendly and knowing then romantic.

"Until next time, Chuck."

Smiling, he turned to leave. She spoke before he reached the door.

"Chuck, about Sarah."

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"I know how you feel about her. I hope that she feels the same about you. But don't just rely on your heart and body around her. You have to keep your wits around her. You know what she's capable of. Any relationship that starts with lies and subterfuge has a hard time lasting."

Chuck nodded. "Roger that. I'll see you around Nikki."

After he left, she answered to no one. "I'm sure you will, Chuck. Make every moment count."

**  
Fogo de Chao Churrascaria, Beverly Hills, 8:13pm on a weekday**

Sarah called Chuck after he saw Nikki and invited him out to dinner. She said she wanted to talk. She picked him up and after an hour battling traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway, they arrived at the restaurant. Both seemed in good spirits. Conversation was light and breezy, and all talk surrounding recent events was avoided. Chuck wore jeans and a long-sleeve button down. Sarah also wore denim, with a red form-fitting blouse that turned heads as they entered the restaurant. The women all looked for flaws in Sarah and wondered what was so special about Chuck that she was with him. The men didn't notice any flaws in Sarah and wondered what was so special about Chuck that she was with him. The cut on Sarah's forehead was masked by makeup. They were seated immediately, and after ordering caipirinhas, the meat assault began. In short order, they both had eight different piles of meat on their plates. They turned the green and red disks on their table to the red side, telling the _Gauchos_ to give them a chance to eat. And talk.

"Nice place. I've driven by, but never eaten here. I don't usually go places it takes a few days of wages to pay for."

Sarah smiled. "I'll put it on the expense account."

"So how's your head? Did you get a concussion?"

"It was a little one. Nothing to worry about."

"Ok. I'm sorry."

"For what, Chuck?"

"For shooting…" Chuck realized he was talking a bit loudly. In a quieter tone, he repeated, "For shooting you with the taser."

She continued cutting a piece of sirloin which she popped in her mouth before responding. "It's no big deal. Just a little shock. No harm, no foul."

"I don't believe you."

Sarah put her utensils down.

"I know you're pissed with me about it. Just tell me you're pissed so we don't have to pretend everything's ok. We don't need to hide how we feel from each other."

For the first time, Chuck really noticed all of the emotions that flashed across her face. He saw anger, betrayal, hurt, and mostly, uncertainty.

"I'm pissed that you shot me."

"I know. And I'm really sorry."

"How could you not trust me? How could you not trust me to make the right decision? Haven't I proven myself to you time and again?"

"I do trust you. I wouldn't be alive today if I didn't trust you. You do your job better than anyone I know. But this isn't just about your job."

"What?"

Chuck sighed and steeled himself for what he felt could be a very painful conversation. Recent events had given him the confidence and desire to push forward. He may not like where things would go, but better to know where things stood.

"Remember the sunset on the beach a few days back?"

Chuck noticed more emotions flashing from her. He wondered why he never noticed how expressive she was before. She nodded. He continued.

"Well, I've come to the conclusion that you primarily did that to regain my trust, and control over your asset. And I'm ok with that. I'm starting to learn how the game is played."

"Chuck," Sarah interrupted.

"Sarah, let me finish. I also believe that you meant a lot of what you said. That there is something real under our undercover thing. And I know that how you feel often conflicts with how you have to do your job. And I'm ok with that too. I think you know how I feel about you, but if you don't…if you don't, just know that I like you a lot. I like the real person that's underneath all the identities you have to assume. I'd like to know her better."

Sarah was shocked…SHOCKED that Chuck had been so perceptive. And that he had the confidence to bring it all up. He clearly was not the same person she had initiated contact with back in September. She wasn't the same person either. Her eyes began to water.

"Did you practice that little speech in the mirror?" She smiled as a few drops ran down her cheek.

"More times than I could count." Chuck smiled back. "Are those fake-breakup-tears-for-the-benefit-of-Morgan-Jeff-and-Lester, or real-Long-Shore-kidnapping-me-on-the-rooftop-tears?"

She reached both hands across the table and grasped his. "What do you think?"

"I want you to tell me."

He wasn't going to let her off easy this time. "They're real tears. And you were spot on about everything else. I must be losing my touch as an agent if you can read me so easily."

Chuck massaged the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "It's only because you let me."

They both felt the moment. What they had between them just advanced to another level.

"You want to hear something funny?"

"Sure."

"I was going to pull my gun on Long Shore on that rooftop."

"Really? What were you going to do?"

"I had no idea! I just couldn't let them take you like that without doing something."

"Wow. Really?"

"Really. Who knows, Long Shore and I could have killed each other and left you a sitting target for Lizzie. You'd be having dinner in a Fulcrum interrogation facility right now." She took a long swig from her drink.

"I thought you said you were going to say something funny?"

"Hey, it's worked out so far, right?"

"I'd have to agree, despite your gallows humor."

Chuck raised his drink to toast. "To the next chapter of the Team Chuck Chronicles. Better yet, to the Chuck-and-his-beautiful-CIA-Agent-who-is-also-something-more Chronicles."

Sarah clinked her glass to his. "I'll drink to that." They took long sips while gazing at each other.

Chuck turned over his disk to the green side immediately attracting the attention of a _Gaucho_ with a skewer of filet mignon. "Time for more meat!"

**  
Ellie Bartowski's apartment in Echo Park, Los Angeles, 11:38pm on a weekday**

After having dessert at Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose Avenue, Chuck and Sarah walked hand-in-hand through the apartment complex. Casey's light was on as usual. The future Mr. and Mrs. Awesome were working late. They went to Chuck's room and sat facing each other, Sarah on the bed, Chuck in a chair.

Sarah pulled out a small device resembling a USB drive. With a flip of a switch, a red LED went on.

"What's that?"

"Anti-listening device sonic scrambler. Casey is listening to static right now. It should buy us a few minutes of privacy."

"So how is work going to change now, with two Intersects around?"

"We don't have to protect Nikki in public like with you so security will be much easier. We'll be able to churn through twice the intelligence as before. You can both check each other's work too. Beckman and Graham seem relatively pleased, despite losing their Beta Intersect and all the money that it cost. Maybe we don't have to protect you as well now that we have a backup."

"Shutup!" Chuck playfully slapped her knee. "I hope I get to work with her again."

Sarah snorted. "I don't see what's so great about Nikki."

"She's actually not a bad person. She's brilliant, and we know she's one of the good guys now. I think she'll really help things along. Oh, and she's beautiful."

She looked incredulously at Chuck.

"I gotta tell you though, I prefer blondes."

Sarah beamed at him.

"Wait, are you a real blonde? Or did you dye your hair for this assignment?"

"One day, you may get to find out."

Chuck blushed as his smile reached his ears. Sarah's smile promised everything.

"Well, I better go before Casey breaks in here with guns blazing."

They both stood and wrapped their arms around each other before Chuck leaned down to capture her mouth with his. It was a passionate yet sweet kiss that didn't have the hunger of their previous kisses, but reflected a deeper relationship between them. Neither wanted the kiss to end.

They both heard the doorbell and Casey's fist pounding the door. They let it ring a few times before parting with tremendous grins.

"We better go before he breaks something."

"I'll walk you to your car."

They walked to the front door and greeted Casey. He was wearing a robe made from the same gray camouflage pattern of the Army Combat Uniform.

"What the hell is going on with the bugs?"

"What the hell is going on with your robe?"

Before Casey could hurt Chuck, Sarah spoke. "We were just running a little test to see if you were paying attention. I figured you'd be knocked out after this morning."

"I am tired, so if you're done with him, will you please tuck the Intersect in, so I can get some sleep?" Casey turned and stormed off. His robe did blend in well with the darkness.

Chuck and Sarah shared a laugh before walking to her car. They had their arms around each other until they reached it.

"Sarah, I have to ask you something. I was going to ask you sometime in the future, but it's going to bug me if I don't know the answer."

"Sure, what is it?

Chuck turned her until they were facing each other. "Were you going to kill Nikki?"

Sarah's eyes widened. That was not something she expected him to ask. She gulped as she tried to form a response. She suspected that Chuck's newfound attentiveness had already picked up on her emotions and that he knew the answer. She struggled to overcome her training and give him an honest response, not one that would manipulate and coerce. She gathered her courage.

"Yes, I was."

Chuck wasn't as surprised at her answer as she expected.

"Can you tell me why?"

She decided to stick to the truth. It had been working well all night.

"When Beckman and Graham learned about Nikki's ability, they wanted us to grab her. They also wanted us to eliminate you. They felt she would prove to be a better Human Intersect than you. You knew about Casey's standing order to terminate you when the Beta became operational. They wanted him to carry it out. I had to come up with a way to save you and killing Nikki was the answer."

"How's that?"

"If Nikki got killed in the crossfire during the Miller-Johnson takedown, then only one Human Intersect would remain, you. In that case, even with the Beta fully operational, Graham could overrule Beckman and keep you alive. For insurance and as a research subject."

Chuck processed the news. "So Nikki was right, that destroying all the Beta Intersects was the only way to insure both of us lived."

She looked down at the dark sidewalk. "Yes, she was."

"So you were ready to kill Nikki, and maybe Long Shore, to save me?"

Sarah's eyes began to water. She had shed more tears for him in one night than she had for any reason in five years.

"You know what, that's one question you don't have to answer tonight. I know the answer." With that, he embraced her. She buried her face in her chest and sobbed, letting his shirt absorb her tears. Years of emotional frustration and pain came to the surface and were washed away by his presence. He held her as long as she needed.

After a long silence, her eyes dried up and she moved back.

"Thank you, Chuck."

"Anytime. Everyone needs a good cry once in a while."

"Not just for that." She hesitated. "For saving me."

His face showed puzzlement.

"By shooting me with the taser, you kept me from killing Nikki. When I have to kill people for the job, its one thing. I've never killed someone for personal reasons. Thanks to you, I still haven't."

Chuck cupped her face and gave a reassuring smile. "The night's still young."

They both shared a laugh that left them feeling free and relieved.

"We're a good team, Sarah. I think your strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. I'm good with computers, and you're good with fighting, shooting, espionage, seduction, knifing, spy craft, and everything else."

"We are a good team. And you're good at a lot of stuff besides computers."

"Where does Casey fit in?"

"He's just the muscle. He makes a good limo driver or bartender."

"Hehehe…"

Sarah fished her remote from her purse and unlocked her car. "Well, I'm going home to get some rest. Want a ride to work tomorrow?"

"Sure, I can't wait to see you again. Let's make every moment count!"

* * *

_Note: Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long delay. I've been occupied by too many things lately. I hope you enjoyed the story.  
_


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